title: A MYB/ZML Complex Regulates Wound-Induced Lignin Genes in Maize.
abstract: Lignin is an essential polymer in vascular plants that plays key structural roles in vessels and fibers. Lignification is induced by external inputs such as wounding, but the molecular mechanisms that link this stress to lignification remain largely unknown. In this work, we provide evidence that three maize (Zea mays) lignin repressors, MYB11, MYB31, and MYB42, participate in wound-induced lignification by interacting with ZML2, a protein belonging to the TIFY family. We determined that the three R2R3-MYB factors and ZML2 bind in vivo to AC-rich and GAT(A/C) cis-elements, respectively, present in a set of lignin genes. In particular, we show that MYB11 and ZML2 bind simultaneously to the AC-rich and GAT(A/C) cis-elements present in the promoter of the caffeic acid O-methyl transferase (comt) gene. We show that, like the R2R3-MYB factors, ZML2 also acts as a transcriptional repressor. We found that upon wounding and methyl jasmonate treatments, MYB11 and ZML2 proteins are degraded and comt transcription is induced. Based on these results, we propose a molecular regulatory mechanism involving a MYB/ZML complex in which wound-induced lignification can be achieved by the derepression of a set of lignin genes.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recerca en Agrigenòmica, Consortium CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Spain Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, 11529 Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Isabel-Cristina
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Vélez-Bermúdez
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recerca en Agrigenòmica, Consortium CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Spain Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, 11529 Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jorge E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Salazar-Henao
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recerca en Agrigenòmica, Consortium CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7586-8830
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fornalé
authors.affiliation: Genomics Unit, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9362-8662
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: López-Vidriero
authors.affiliation: Genomics Unit, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: José-Manuel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Franco-Zorrilla
authors.affiliation: Center for Applied Plant Sciences and Department of Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210.
authors.forename: Erich
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Grotewold
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio 43606.
authors.forename: John
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1352-2900
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Molecular Genetics, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Solano
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, 11529 Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7850-6832
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recerca en Agrigenòmica, Consortium CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Montserrat
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8431-5605
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pagés
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recerca en Agrigenòmica, Consortium CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Spain marta.riera@cragenomica.es david.caparros@cragenomica.es.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1007-5324
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Riera
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recerca en Agrigenòmica, Consortium CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Spain marta.riera@cragenomica.es david.caparros@cragenomica.es.
authors.forename: David
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7461-8888
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Caparros-Ruiz
mesh_terms: D000085:Acetates / Q000494:pharmacology; D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D001483:Base Sequence; D047369:Chromatin Immunoprecipitation; D003517:Cyclopentanes / Q000494:pharmacology; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000187:drug effects; D017343:Genes, Plant; D008031:Lignin / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008954:Models, Biological; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D054883:Oxylipins / Q000494:pharmacology; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D011485:Protein Binding / Q000187:drug effects; D059748:Proteolysis / Q000187:drug effects; D003313:Zea mays / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D000085:Acetates; D003517:Cyclopentanes; D054883:Oxylipins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D008031:Lignin; C072239:methyl jasmonate