A mutation in THREONINE SYNTHASE 1 uncouples proliferation and transition domains of the root apical meristem: experimental evidence and in silico proposed mechanism

A continuum from stem to transit-amplifying to a differentiated cell state is a common theme in multicellular organisms. In the plant root apical meristem (RAM), transit-amplifying cells are organized into two domains: cells from the proliferation domain (PD) are displaced to the transition domain (...

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Published inDevelopment (Cambridge) Vol. 149; no. 21
Main Authors García-Gómez, Monica L, Reyes-Hernández, Blanca J, Sahoo, Debee P, Napsucialy-Mendivil, Selene, Quintana-Armas, Aranza X, Pedroza-García, José A, Shishkova, Svetlana, Torres-Martínez, Héctor H, Pacheco-Escobedo, Mario A, Dubrovsky, Joseph G
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England The Company of Biologists Ltd 01.11.2022
Subjects
Arabidopsis - genetics
Arabidopsis - metabolism
Arabidopsis Proteins - genetics
Arabidopsis Proteins - metabolism
Cell Proliferation - genetics
Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
Meristem - genetics
Meristem - metabolism
Mutation - genetics
Plant Roots - genetics
Plant Roots - metabolism
Threonine - genetics
Arabidopsis thaliana
Meristem maintenance
Root apical meristem
Transit-amplifying cells
Stem cells
Threonine metabolism
Meristem exhaustion
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Summary:A continuum from stem to transit-amplifying to a differentiated cell state is a common theme in multicellular organisms. In the plant root apical meristem (RAM), transit-amplifying cells are organized into two domains: cells from the proliferation domain (PD) are displaced to the transition domain (TD), suggesting that both domains are necessarily coupled. Here, we show that in the Arabidopsis thaliana mto2-2 mutant, in which threonine (Thr) synthesis is affected, the RAM lacks the PD. Through a combination of cell length profile analysis, mathematical modeling and molecular markers, we establish that the PD and TD can be uncoupled. Remarkably, although the RAM of mto2-2 is represented solely by the TD, the known factors of RAM maintenance and auxin signaling are expressed in the mutant. Mathematical modeling predicts that the stem cell niche depends on Thr metabolism and that, when disturbed, the normal continuum of cell states becomes aborted.
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Handling Editor: Ykä Helariutta
Present address: Computational Developmental Biology Group, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Present address: Center for Organismal Studies, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
Present address: Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Av. Universidad, 2001, Cuernavaca 62250, Mexico.
Present address: Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico.
The authors declare no competing or financial interests.
Competing interests
ISSN:0950-1991
1477-9129
DOI:10.1242/dev.200899