title: An ancestral stomatal patterning module revealed in the non-vascular land plant Physcomitrella patens.
abstract: The patterning of stomata plays a vital role in plant development and has emerged as a paradigm for the role of peptide signals in the spatial control of cellular differentiation. Research in Arabidopsis has identified a series of epidermal patterning factors (EPFs), which interact with an array of membrane-localised receptors and associated proteins (encoded by ERECTA and TMM genes) to control stomatal density and distribution. However, although it is well-established that stomata arose very early in the evolution of land plants, until now it has been unclear whether the established angiosperm stomatal patterning system represented by the EPF/TMM/ERECTA module reflects a conserved, universal mechanism in the plant kingdom. Here, we use molecular genetics to show that the moss Physcomitrella patens has conserved homologues of angiosperm EPF, TMM and at least one ERECTA gene that function together to permit the correct patterning of stomata and that, moreover, elements of the module retain function when transferred to Arabidopsis Our data characterise the stomatal patterning system in an evolutionarily distinct branch of plants and support the hypothesis that the EPF/TMM/ERECTA module represents an ancient patterning system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK.
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6480-218X
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Caine
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK.
authors.forename: Caspar C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chater
authors.affiliation: Centre for Plant Science, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
authors.forename: Yasuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kamisugi
authors.affiliation: Centre for Plant Science, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
authors.forename: Andrew C
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2562-2052
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Cuming
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK.
authors.forename: David J
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1869-4314
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Beerling
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK.
authors.forename: Julie E
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-9972-5156
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK a.fleming@sheffield.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9703-0745
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Fleming
mesh_terms: D019068:Bryopsida / Q000378:metabolism*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D019441:Plant Epidermis / Q000378:metabolism; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D054046:Plant Stomata / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins
keywords: Evolution; Patterning; Peptide signalling; Stomata