Making Roots, Shoots, and Seeds: IDD Gene Family Diversification in Plants

• Published in: Trends in plant science Vol. 23; no. 1; pp. 66 - 78
• Main Authors: Coelho, Carla P., Huang, Pu, Lee, Dong-Yeon, Brutnell, Thomas P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2018; Elsevier BV; Cell Press
• Subjects: Developmental stages; Flowers & plants; Genetics; INDETERMINATE DOMAIN; kranz anatomy; Organs; Photosynthesis; Phylogenetics; Phylogeny; plant development; Plant Sciences; Plant tissues; Regulators; regulatory networks; Seeds; Shoots; Transcription; transcription factors; plant development; regulatory networks; INDETERMINATE DOMAIN; transcription factors; kranz anatomy
• ISSN: 1360-1385; 1878-4372
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2017.09.008

The INDETERMINATE DOMAIN (IDD) family of transcriptional regulators controls a diversity of processes in a variety of plant tissues and organs and at different stages of plant development. Several recent reports describe the genetic characterization of IDD family members, including those that are likely to regulate C4 kranz anatomy, with implications for the engineering of C4 traits into C3 crops. In this review we summarize the reported functions of IDD members in the regulation of metabolic sensing and leaf, root, seed, and inflorescence development. We also provide an IDD phylogeny for the grasses and suggest future directions and strategies to define the function of IDDs in C4 photosynthesis and other developmental processes. The INDETERMINATE DOMAIN (IDD) family of transcription factors has a broad range of activities throughout plant development and is a potential target for crop improvement. The expansion of the IDD family after the divergence of monocot and dicot lineages limits our ability to infer function from orthologous relationships with arabidopsis. IDD members form protein complexes with other transcription factors to mediate cell differentiation and regulate sugar metabolism and hormone signaling. A better understanding of the regulatory networks underlying kranz anatomy in C4 grasses will facilitate the engineering of C3 plants into C4. Independent transcriptome studies repeatedly highlight a potential function for IDDs in bundle-sheath and mesophyll differentiation processes.