title: A cascade of arabinosyltransferases controls shoot meristem size in tomato.
abstract: Shoot meristems of plants are composed of stem cells that are continuously replenished through a classical feedback circuit involving the homeobox WUSCHEL (WUS) gene and the CLAVATA (CLV) gene signaling pathway. In CLV signaling, the CLV1 receptor complex is bound by CLV3, a secreted peptide modified with sugars. However, the pathway responsible for modifying CLV3 and its relevance for CLV signaling are unknown. Here we show that tomato inflorescence branching mutants with extra flower and fruit organs due to enlarged meristems are defective in arabinosyltransferase genes. The most extreme mutant is disrupted in a hydroxyproline O-arabinosyltransferase and can be rescued with arabinosylated CLV3. Weaker mutants are defective in arabinosyltransferases that extend arabinose chains, indicating that CLV3 must be fully arabinosylated to maintain meristem size. Finally, we show that a mutation in CLV3 increased fruit size during domestication. Our findings uncover a new layer of complexity in the control of plant stem cell proliferation.
authors.affiliation: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Cao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: 1] Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, USA. [2] Watson School of Biological Sciences, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Katie L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Liberatore
authors.affiliation: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Cora A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: MacAlister
authors.affiliation: Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, Ohio State University, Wooster, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Zejun
authors.identifier: 0000000286033684
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, Ohio State University, Wooster, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Yi-Hsuan
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.affiliation: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brooks
authors.affiliation: Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Chikusa, Nagoya, Japan.
authors.forename: Mari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ogawa-Ohnishi
authors.affiliation: Energy Biosciences Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA.
authors.forename: Guangyan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.affiliation: 1] Energy Biosciences Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA. [2] Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pauly
authors.affiliation: Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Science, Ithaca, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Joyce
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Van Eck
authors.affiliation: Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Chikusa, Nagoya, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshikatsu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsubayashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, Ohio State University, Wooster, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: van der Knaap
authors.affiliation: 1] Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, USA. [2] Watson School of Biological Sciences, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Zachary B
authors.initials: ZB
authors.lastname: Lippman
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D035264:Flowers / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D005638:Fruit / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D006031:Glycosylation; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D018519:Meristem / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D010430:Pentosyltransferases / Q000502:physiology*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins; D010430:Pentosyltransferases; C101967:arabinosyltransferase