WOX13-like genes are required for reprogramming of leaf and protoplast cells into stem cells in the moss Physcomitrella patens.
Many differentiated plant cells can dedifferentiate into stem cells, reflecting the remarkable developmental plasticity of plants. In the moss Physcomitrella patens, cells at the wound margin of detached leaves become reprogrammed into stem cells. Here, we report that two paralogous P. patens WUSCHEL-related homeobox 13-like (PpWOX13L) genes, homologs of stem cell regulators in flowering plants, are transiently upregulated and required for the initiation of cell growth during stem cell formation. Concordantly, Δppwox13l deletion mutants fail to upregulate genes encoding homologs of cell wall loosening factors during this process. During the moss life cycle, most of the Δppwox13l mutant zygotes fail to expand and initiate an apical stem cell to form the embryo. Our data show that PpWOX13L genes are required for the initiation of cell growth specifically during stem cell formation, in analogy to WOX stem cell functions in seed plants, but using a different cellular mechanism.
National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan.
Keiko
K
Sakakibara
Pascal
P
Reisewitz
Tsuyoshi
T
Aoyama
Thomas
T
Friedrich
Sayuri
S
Ando
Yoshikatsu
Y
Sato
Yosuke
Y
Tamada
Tomoaki
T
Nishiyama
Yuji
Y
Hiwatashi
Tetsuya
T
Kurata
Masaki
M
Ishikawa
Hironori
H
Deguchi
Stefan A
SA
Rensing
Wolfgang
W
Werr
Takashi
T
Murata
Mitsuyasu
M
Hasebe
Thomas
T
Laux
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000378:metabolism; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D019068:Bryopsida / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000235:genetics; D017353:Gene Deletion; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D017343:Genes, Plant / Q000235:genetics*; D018519:Meristem / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011523:Protoplasts / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D012038:Regeneration; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000235:genetics; D015053:Zygote / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development
D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins
Physcomitrella; Stem cell; WOX