title: Autocrine regulation of stomatal differentiation potential by EPF1 and ERECTA-LIKE1 ligand-receptor signaling.
abstract: Development of stomata, valves on the plant epidermis for optimal gas exchange and water control, is fine-tuned by multiple signaling peptides with unique, overlapping, or antagonistic activities. EPIDERMAL PATTERNING FACTOR1 (EPF1) is a founding member of the secreted peptide ligands enforcing stomatal patterning. Yet, its exact role remains unclear. Here, we report that EPF1 and its primary receptor ERECTA-LIKE1 (ERL1) target MUTE, a transcription factor specifying the proliferation-to-differentiation switch within the stomatal cell lineages. In turn, MUTE directly inducesERL1.The absolute co-expression of ERL1 and MUTE, with the co-presence of EPF1, triggers autocrine inhibition of stomatal fate. During normal stomatal development, this autocrine inhibition prevents extra symmetric divisions of stomatal precursors likely owing to excessive MUTE activity. Our study reveals the unexpected role of self-inhibition as a mechanism for ensuring proper stomatal development and suggests an intricate signal buffering mechanism underlying plant tissue patterning.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, United States.|Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, United States.
authors.forename: Xingyun
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1261-1362
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, United States.|Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, United States.
authors.forename: Soon-Ki
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, United States.|Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, United States.
authors.forename: Jonathan H
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0458-4010
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Dang
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, United States.|Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, United States.
authors.forename: Jacqueline M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Garrick
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences/Institute of Transformative Biomolecules (WPI-ITbM), Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, United States.|Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, United States.
authors.forename: Alex K
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3709-9783
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Hofstetter
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, United States.|Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, United States.|Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences/Institute of Transformative Biomolecules (WPI-ITbM), Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan.
authors.forename: Keiko U
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6168-427X
authors.initials: KU
authors.lastname: Torii
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D054046:Plant Stomata / Q000254:growth & development*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D014157:Transcription Factors; C547253:EPF1 protein, Arabidopsis; C517479:MUTE protein, Arabidopsis; C502168:ERL1 protein, Arabidopsis
keywords: A. thaliana; cell fate; developmental biology; peptide signaling; plant biology; receptor kinase; stem cells; stomatal development