Single-cell telomere-length quantification couples telomere length to meristem activity and stem cell development in Arabidopsis.
Telomeres are specialized nucleoprotein caps that protect chromosome ends assuring cell division. Single-cell telomere quantification in animals established a critical role for telomerase in stem cells, yet, in plants, telomere-length quantification has been reported only at the organ level. Here, a quantitative analysis of telomere length of single cells in Arabidopsis root apex uncovered a heterogeneous telomere-length distribution of different cell lineages showing the longest telomeres at the stem cells. The defects in meristem and stem cell renewal observed in tert mutants demonstrate that telomere lengthening by TERT sets a replicative limit in the root meristem. Conversely, the long telomeres of the columella cells and the premature stem cell differentiation plt1,2 mutants suggest that differentiation can prevent telomere erosion. Overall, our results indicate that telomere dynamics are coupled to meristem activity and continuous growth, disclosing a critical association between telomere length, stem cell function, and the extended lifespan of plants.
Department of Molecular Genetics, Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG) CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Barcelona 08193, Spain; Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CSIC), Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
Mary-Paz
MP
González-García
Department of Molecular Genetics, Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG) CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Barcelona 08193, Spain; Department of Structure and Constituents of Matter, Faculty of Physics, University of Barcelona, Barcelona 08024, Spain.
Irina
I
Pavelescu
Telomeres and Telomerase Group, Molecular Oncology Program, Spanish National Cancer Centre (CNIO), Madrid 28029, Spain.
Andrés
A
Canela
Grup de Recerca en Tecnologies Mèdia, La Salle - Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona 08022, Spain.
Xavier
X
Sevillano
Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
Katherine A
KA
Leehy
Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
Andrew D L
ADL
Nelson
Department of Structure and Constituents of Matter, Faculty of Physics, University of Barcelona, Barcelona 08024, Spain.
Marta
M
Ibañes
Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
Dorothy E
DE
Shippen
Telomeres and Telomerase Group, Molecular Oncology Program, Spanish National Cancer Centre (CNIO), Madrid 28029, Spain.
Maria A
MA
Blasco
Department of Molecular Genetics, Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG) CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Barcelona 08193, Spain. Electronic address: ana.cano@cragenomica.es.
Ana I
AI
Caño-Delgado
D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002451:Cell Compartmentation; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002455:Cell Division; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D018519:Meristem / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D059010:Single-Cell Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D055153:Stem Cell Niche; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D019098:Telomerase / Q000378:metabolism; D016615:Telomere / Q000378:metabolism*
D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; C528255:TERT protein, Arabidopsis; D019098:Telomerase