WUSCHEL acts as an auxin response rheostat to maintain apical stem cells in Arabidopsis

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 10; no. 1; pp. 5093 - 11
• Main Authors: Ma, Yanfei, Miotk, Andrej, Šutiković, Zoran, Ermakova, Olga, Wenzl, Christian, Medzihradszky, Anna, Gaillochet, Christophe, Forner, Joachim, Utan, Gözde, Brackmann, Klaus, Galván-Ampudia, Carlos S., Vernoux, Teva, Greb, Thomas, Lohmann, Jan U.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 08-11-2019; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 13/100; 14/19; 14/35; 38; 38/39; 631/449/1741/1576; 631/449/2653/2654; 631/449/2653/2656; 631/449/2653/2657; 96/10; 96/95; Acetylation; Arabidopsis - metabolism; Arabidopsis Proteins - metabolism; Cell Differentiation; Cell Proliferation; Cell Self Renewal; Development Biology; Differentiation; Gene expression; Homeodomain Proteins - metabolism; Humanities and Social Sciences; Indoleacetic Acids - metabolism; Life Sciences; Maintenance; Meristem - cytology; Meristem - metabolism; Morphogenesis; multidisciplinary; Plant Shoots; Plants, Genetically Modified; Pluripotency; Pluripotent Stem Cells - cytology; Pluripotent Stem Cells - metabolism; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Signal Transduction; Signaling; Stem cells
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13074-9

To maintain the balance between long-term stem cell self-renewal and differentiation, dynamic signals need to be translated into spatially precise and temporally stable gene expression states. In the apical plant stem cell system, local accumulation of the small, highly mobile phytohormone auxin triggers differentiation while at the same time, pluripotent stem cells are maintained throughout the entire life-cycle. We find that stem cells are resistant to auxin mediated differentiation, but require low levels of signaling for their maintenance. We demonstrate that the WUSCHEL transcription factor confers this behavior by rheostatically controlling the auxin signaling and response pathway. Finally, we show that WUSCHEL acts via regulation of histone acetylation at target loci, including those with functions in the auxin pathway. Our results reveal an important mechanism that allows cells to differentially translate a potent and highly dynamic developmental signal into stable cell behavior with high spatial precision and temporal robustness.
Spatial control of auxin signaling maintains a balance between stem-cell self-renewal and differentiation at the plant shoot apex. Here Ma et al. show that rheostatic control of auxin response by the WUSCHEL transcription factor maintains stem cells by conferring resistance to auxin mediated differentiation.