Botany. Plant cells CLEave their way to differentiation

Enhanced resistance to soybean cyst nematode Heterodera glycines in transgenic soybean by silencing putative CLE receptors

CLE peptides are small extracellular proteins important in regulating plant meristematic activity through the CLE-receptor kinase-WOX signalling module. Stem cell pools in the SAM (shoot apical meristem), RAM (root apical meristem) and vascular cambium are controlled by CLE signalling pathways. Interestingly, plant-parasitic cyst nematodes secrete CLE-like effector proteins, which act as ligand mimics of plant CLE peptides and are required for successful parasitism. Recently, we demonstrated that Arabidopsis CLE receptors CLAVATA1 (CLV1), the CLAVATA2 (CLV2)/CORYNE (CRN) heterodimer receptor complex and RECEPTOR-LIKE PROTEIN KINASE 2 (RPK2), which transmit the CLV3 signal in the SAM, are required for perception of beet cyst nematode Heterodera schachtii CLEs. Reduction in nematode infection was observed in clv1, clv2, crn, rpk2 and combined double and triple mutants. In an effort to develop nematode resistance in an agriculturally important crop, orthologues of Arabidopsis receptors including CLV1, CLV2, CRN and RPK2 were identified from soybean, a host for the soybean cyst nematode Heterodera glycines. For each of the receptors, there are at least two paralogues in the soybean genome. Localization studies showed that most receptors are expressed in the root, but vary in their level of expression and spatial expression patterns. Expression in nematode-induced feeding cells was also confirmed. In vitro direct binding of the soybean receptors with the HgCLE peptide was analysed. Knock-down of the receptors in soybean hairy roots showed enhanced resistance to SCN. Our findings suggest that targeted disruption of nematode CLE signalling may be a potential means to engineer nematode resistance in crop plants.

A CLE-WOX signalling module regulates root meristem maintenance and vascular tissue development in rice

CLAVATA3 (CLV3)/ENDOSPERM SURROUNDING REGION (ESR)-related (CLE) proteins belong to a small peptide family conserved in plants. Recent studies in Arabidopsis and rice have revealed a key role for CLEs in mediating cell-cell communication and stem cell maintenance during plant development, but how CLE signalling controls root development in the rice remains largely unknown. Here it is shown that exogenous application of a synthetic dodeca-amino acid peptide corresponding to the CLE motif of the rice FON2-LIKE CLE PROTEIN2 (FCP2p) protein or overexpression of FCP2 terminates root apical meristem (RAM) activity and impairs late metaxylem formation. FCP2p treatment suppresses the expression of the rice QUIESCENT-CENTER-SPECIFIC HOMEOBOX (QHB) gene, a putative orthologue of Arabidopsis WUSCHEL (WUS)-RELATED HOMEOBOX 5 (WOX5) gene, in both quiescent centre and late metaxylem cells; whereas inducible overexpression of QHB reduces the sensitivity of rice to FCP2p treatment. These results together suggest that in rice RAM maintenance and late metaxylem development are probably controlled by the mutual regulation between FCP2 and QHB. Moreover, a cross-species peptide treatment experiment in Arabidopsis implies that FCP2 has both evolutionarily conserved and species-specific roles in root development.

Arabidopsis ASL11/LBD15 is involved in shoot apical meristem development and regulates WUS expression

The ASYMMETRIC LEAVES2-LIKE/LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES (LOB) DOMAIN (ASL/LBD) genes encode plant-specific nuclear proteins containing the conserved domain AS2/LOB. In this study, the function of a member of the Arabidopsis thaliana AS2/LOB gene family, ASL11/LBD15, was investigated. The results show that ASL11/LBD15 is expressed in the meristems of shoot apex, root apex, organ boundaries, and developing seeds. Overexpression of ASL11/LBD15 resulted in aberrant arrangements in the tunica cell layers of the shoot apical meristem (SAM). Two-week-old transgenic plants developed needle-like leaves in addition to regular leaves, while 6-week-old transformants displayed clustered cauline leaves suggesting altered SAM development. qRT-PCR analysis revealed that the WUSCHEL (WUS) transcript level was strongly up-regulated in plants overexpressing ASL11/LBD15 compared with the wild-type plants. Furthermore, inducible ASL11/LBD15 ectopic expression activated ectopic expression of WUS and affected the differentiation of leaf epidermal cells. Therefore, our results suggest that ASL11/LBD15 affects cellular differentiation in the SAM and regulates WUS expression.

Nematode CLE signaling in Arabidopsis requires CLAVATA2 and CORYNE

Plant-parasitic cyst nematodes secrete CLAVATA3 (CLV3)/ESR (CLE)-like effector proteins. These proteins have been shown to act as ligand mimics of plant CLE peptides and are required for successful nematode infection; however, the receptors for nematode CLE-like peptides have not been identified. Here we demonstrate that CLV2 and CORYNE (CRN), members of the receptor kinase family, are required for nematode CLE signaling. Exogenous peptide assays and overexpression of nematode CLEs in Arabidopsis demonstrated that CLV2 and CRN are required for perception of nematode CLEs. In addition, promoter-reporter assays showed that both receptors are expressed in nematode-induced syncytia. Lastly, infection assays with receptor mutants revealed a decrease in both nematode infection and syncytium size. Taken together, our results indicate that perception of nematode CLEs by CLV2 and CRN is not only required for successful nematode infection but is also involved in the formation and/or maintenance of nematode-induced syncytia.

CLE peptides control Medicago truncatula nodulation locally and systemically

The CLAVATA3/embryo-surrounding region (CLE) peptides control the fine balance between proliferation and differentiation in plant development. We studied the role of CLE peptides during indeterminate nodule development and identified 25 MtCLE peptide genes in the Medicago truncatula genome, of which two genes, MtCLE12 and MtCLE13, had nodulation-related expression patterns that were linked to proliferation and differentiation. MtCLE13 expression was up-regulated early in nodule development. A high-to-low expression gradient radiated from the inner toward the outer cortical cell layers in a region defining the incipient nodule. At later stages, MtCLE12 and MtCLE13 were expressed in differentiating nodules and in the apical part of mature, elongated nodules. Functional analysis revealed a putative role for MtCLE12 and MtCLE13 in autoregulation of nodulation, a mechanism that controls the number of nodules and involves systemic signals mediated by a leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase, SUNN, which is active in the shoot. When MtCLE12 and MtCLE13 were ectopically expressed in transgenic roots, nodulation was abolished at the level of the nodulation factor signal transduction, and this inhibition involved long-distance signaling. In addition, composite plants with roots ectopically expressing MtCLE12 or MtCLE13 had elongated petioles. This systemic effect was not observed in transgenic roots ectopically expressing MtCLE12 and MtCLE13 in a sunn-1 mutant background, although nodulation was still strongly reduced. These results suggest multiple roles for CLE signaling in nodulation.

Non-cell-autonomous control of vascular stem cell fate by a CLE peptide/receptor system

Land plants evolved a long-distance transport system of water and nutrients composed of the xylem and phloem, both of which are generated from the procambium- and cambium-comprising vascular stem cells. However, little is known about the molecular mechanism of cell communication governing xylem-phloem patterning. Here, we show that a dodecapeptide (HEVHypSGHypNPISN; Hyp, 4-hydroxyproline), TDIF (tracheary element differentiation inhibitory factor), is secreted from the phloem and suppresses the differentiation of vascular stem cells into xylem cells through a leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase (LRR-RLK). TDIF binds in vitro specifically to the LRR-RLK, designated TDR (putative TDIF receptor), whose expression is restricted to procambial cells. However, the combined analysis of TDIF with a specific antibody and the expression profiles of the promoters of two genes encoding TDIF revealed that TDIF is synthesized mainly in, and secreted from, the phloem and its neighboring cells. The observation that TDIF is capable of promoting proliferation of procambial cells while suppressing xylem differentiation suggests that this small peptide functions as a phloem-derived, non-cell-autonomous signal that controls stem cell fate in the procambium. Our results indicate that we have discovered a cell communication system governing phloem-xylem cross-talk.