Genetic variation and temperature affects hybrid barriers during interspecific hybridization.

Genomic imprinting regulates parent-specific transcript dosage during seed development and is mainly confined to the endosperm. Elucidation of the function of many imprinted genes has been hampered by the lack of corresponding mutant phenotypes, and the role of imprinting is mainly associated with genome dosage regulation or allocation of resources. Disruption of imprinted genes has also been suggested to mediate endosperm-based post-zygotic hybrid barriers depending on genetic variation and gene dosage. Here, we have analyzed the conservation of a clade from the MADS-box type I class transcription factors in the closely related species Arabidopsis arenosa, A. lyrata, and A. thaliana, and show that AGL36-like genes are imprinted and maternally expressed in seeds of Arabidopsis species and in hybrid seeds between outbreeding species. In hybridizations between outbreeding and inbreeding species the paternally silenced allele of the AGL36-like gene is reactivated in the hybrid, demonstrating that also maternally expressed imprinted genes are perturbed during hybridization and that such effects on imprinted genes are specific to the species combination. Furthermore, we also demonstrate a quantitative effect of genetic diversity and temperature on the strength of the post-zygotic hybridization barrier. Markedly, a small decrease in temperature during seed development increases the survival of hybrid F1 seeds, suggesting that abiotic and genetic parameters play important roles in post-zygotic species barriers, pointing at evolutionary scenarios favoring such effects. OPEN RESEARCH BADGES: This article has earned an Open Data Badge for making publicly available the digitally-shareable data necessary to reproduce the reported results. The data is available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bioproject/?term=PRJNA562212. All sequences generated in this study have been deposited in the National Center for Biotechnology Information Sequence Read Archive (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sra/) with project number PRJNA562212

Functional conservation in the SIAMESE-RELATED family of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors in land plants

© 2015 American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved. The best-characterized members of the plant-specific SIAMESE-RELATED (SMR) family of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors regulate the transition from the mitotic cell cycle to endoreplication, also known as endoreduplication, an altered version of the cell cycle in which DNA is replicated without cell division. Some other family members are implicated in cell cycle responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, the functions of most SMRs remain unknown, and the specific cyclin- dependent kinase complexes inhibited by SMRs are unclear. Here, we demonstrate that a diverse group of SMRs, including an SMR from the bryophyte Physcomitrella patens, can complement an Arabidopsis thaliana siamese (sim) mutant and that both Arabidopsis SIM and P. patens SMR can inhibit CDK activity in vitro. Furthermore, we show that Arabidopsis SIM can bind to and inhibit both CDKA;1 and CDKB1;1. Finally, we show that SMR2 acts to restrict cell proliferation during leaf growth in Arabidopsis and that SIM, SMR1/LGO, and SMR2 play overlapping roles in controlling the transition from cell division to endoreplication during leaf development. These results indicate that differences in SMR function in plant growth and development are primarily due to differences in transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation, rather than to differences in fundamental biochemical function

Endoreplication Controls Cell Fate Maintenance

Cell-fate specification is typically thought to precede and determine cell-cycle regulation during differentiation. Here we show that endoreplication, also known as endoreduplication, a specialized cell-cycle variant often associated with cell differentiation but also frequently occurring in malignant cells, plays a role in maintaining cell fate. For our study we have used Arabidopsis trichomes as a model system and have manipulated endoreplication levels via mutants of cell-cycle regulators and overexpression of cell-cycle inhibitors under a trichome-specific promoter. Strikingly, a reduction of endoreplication resulted in reduced trichome numbers and caused trichomes to lose their identity. Live observations of young Arabidopsis leaves revealed that dedifferentiating trichomes re-entered mitosis and were re-integrated into the epidermal pavement-cell layer, acquiring the typical characteristics of the surrounding epidermal cells. Conversely, when we promoted endoreplication in glabrous patterning mutants, trichome fate could be restored, demonstrating that endoreplication is an important determinant of cell identity. Our data lead to a new model of cell-fate control and tissue integrity during development by revealing a cell-fate quality control system at the tissue level

Contrôle du processus de spécialisation des cellules par le cycle cellulaire

Dans ce travail, j'ai utilisé les trichomes (poils foliaires) d'Arabidopsis comme modèle pour étudier la différenciation cellulaire et l'endoréplication. Mon travail a révélé que les cycles d’endoréplication chez Arabidopsis étaient contrôlés par les protéines inhibitrices CYCLIN DEPENDENT KINASE (CDK), elles-mêmes contrôlées par dégradation via l'action de complexes SKP-CULLIN-F-BOX (SCF). Ceci crée vraisemblablement des niveaux variables d'activité de CDK, qui sont nécessaires pour la progression répétée au travers des phases de synthèse d'ADN dans les cellules entrées en endoréplication. Cependant, la sur-expression des inhibiteurs des CDK ne bloque pas seulement l'endoréplication mais résulte aussi dans la dédifférenciation des cellules précurseurs des trichomes. Des résultats similaires ont été obtenus en utilisant des allèles faibles de perte de fonction pour CDKA;1, la principale CDK chez Arabidopsis, laissant émerger la notion que l'endoréplication est nécessaire à la maintenance du devenir des cellules. De manière surprenante, la dédifférenciation peut être au moins partiellement réprimée quand RBR1, l'homologue chez Arabidopsis de la protéine animale suppresseur de tumeur RETINOBLASTOMA (Rb), est mutée de manière concomitante. De même, une mutation de la methyltransferase CURLY LEAF, composante du complexe PRC2, rétablit le défaut de maintenance des trichomes chez les mutants faibles pour CDKA;1. Pris dans leur ensemble, ces résultats suggèrent que le complexe PRC2 et la protéine RBR1 établissent, au niveau tissulaire, un seuil pour la différenciation cellulaire au cours du développement de l'épiderme chez Arabidopsis.Cell differentiation is often linked with a switch from a mitotic to an endoreplication cycle, in which cells re-replicate their DNA without cell division. The molecular regulation of endoreplication and its biological fonction are only poorly understood. Here, I have used trichomes (leaf hairs) of Arabidopsis as a model to study cell differentiation and endoreplication. My work revealed that endoreplication cycles in Arabidopsis are controlled by cyclin dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor proteins, which in turn are subject to protein degradation mediated by the action of SKP-CULLIN-F-BOX (SCF) complexes. This presumably creates oscillating levels of CDK activity, which are needed for repeated progression through DNA synthesis phases in endoreplicating cells. However, overexpression of CDK inhibitors did not only block endoreplication but also resulted in the dedifferentiation of trichome precursor cells. Similar observations were made with weak- loss-of-function alleles for the major CDK in Arabidopsis, CDKA;1, giving rise to the notion that endoreplication is required for cell fate maintenance. Trichome dedifferentiation was enhanced when trichome fate regulators were mutated. Surprisingly, the dedifferentiation could be at least partially repressed when RBR1, the Arabidopsis homolog of the animal tumor suppressor protein Retinoblastoma (Rb), was concomitantly mutated. Similarly, a mutation in PRCZ-methyltransfcrase CURLY LEAF (CLF) rescued the trichome maintenance defect of weak CDKA;1 mutants. Taken together, this suggests that PRC2 and RBR1 set a dynamic tissue threshold for cell differentiation during epidermis development in Arabidopsis

Contrôle du processus de spécialisation des cellules par le cycle cellulaire

Dans ce travail, j'ai utilisé les trichomes (poils foliaires) d'Arabidopsis comme modèle pour étudier la différenciation cellulaire et l'endoréplication. Mon travail a révélé que les cycles d’endoréplication chez Arabidopsis étaient contrôlés par les protéines inhibitrices CYCLIN DEPENDENT KINASE (CDK), elles-mêmes contrôlées par dégradation via l'action de complexes SKP-CULLIN-F-BOX (SCF). Ceci crée vraisemblablement des niveaux variables d'activité de CDK, qui sont nécessaires pour la progression répétée au travers des phases de synthèse d'ADN dans les cellules entrées en endoréplication. Cependant, la sur-expression des inhibiteurs des CDK ne bloque pas seulement l'endoréplication mais résulte aussi dans la dédifférenciation des cellules précurseurs des trichomes. Des résultats similaires ont été obtenus en utilisant des allèles faibles de perte de fonction pour CDKA;1, la principale CDK chez Arabidopsis, laissant émerger la notion que l'endoréplication est nécessaire à la maintenance du devenir des cellules. De manière surprenante, la dédifférenciation peut être au moins partiellement réprimée quand RBR1, l'homologue chez Arabidopsis de la protéine animale suppresseur de tumeur RETINOBLASTOMA (Rb), est mutée de manière concomitante. De même, une mutation de la methyltransferase CURLY LEAF, composante du complexe PRC2, rétablit le défaut de maintenance des trichomes chez les mutants faibles pour CDKA;1. Pris dans leur ensemble, ces résultats suggèrent que le complexe PRC2 et la protéine RBR1 établissent, au niveau tissulaire, un seuil pour la différenciation cellulaire au cours du développement de l'épiderme chez Arabidopsis.Cell differentiation is often linked with a switch from a mitotic to an endoreplication cycle, in which cells re-replicate their DNA without cell division. The molecular regulation of endoreplication and its biological fonction are only poorly understood. Here, I have used trichomes (leaf hairs) of Arabidopsis as a model to study cell differentiation and endoreplication. My work revealed that endoreplication cycles in Arabidopsis are controlled by cyclin dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor proteins, which in turn are subject to protein degradation mediated by the action of SKP-CULLIN-F-BOX (SCF) complexes. This presumably creates oscillating levels of CDK activity, which are needed for repeated progression through DNA synthesis phases in endoreplicating cells. However, overexpression of CDK inhibitors did not only block endoreplication but also resulted in the dedifferentiation of trichome precursor cells. Similar observations were made with weak- loss-of-function alleles for the major CDK in Arabidopsis, CDKA;1, giving rise to the notion that endoreplication is required for cell fate maintenance. Trichome dedifferentiation was enhanced when trichome fate regulators were mutated. Surprisingly, the dedifferentiation could be at least partially repressed when RBR1, the Arabidopsis homolog of the animal tumor suppressor protein Retinoblastoma (Rb), was concomitantly mutated. Similarly, a mutation in PRCZ-methyltransfcrase CURLY LEAF (CLF) rescued the trichome maintenance defect of weak CDKA;1 mutants. Taken together, this suggests that PRC2 and RBR1 set a dynamic tissue threshold for cell differentiation during epidermis development in Arabidopsis

RETINOBLASTOMA RELATED1 mediates germline entry in Arabidopsis

To produce seeds, flowering plants need to specify somatic cells to undergo meiosis. Here, we reveal a regulatory cascade that controls the entry into meiosis starting with a group of redundantly acting cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors of the KIP-RELATED PROTEIN (KRP) class. KRPs function by restricting CDKA;1-dependent inactivation of the Arabidopsis Retinoblastoma homolog RBR1. In rbr1 and krp triple mutants, designated meiocytes undergo several mitotic divisions, resulting in the formation of supernumerary meiocytes that give rise to multiple reproductive units per future seed. One function of RBR1 is the direct repression of the stem cell factor WUSCHEL (WUS), which ectopically accumulates in meiocytes of triple krp and rbr1 mutants. Depleting WUS in rbr1 mutants restored the formation of only a single meiocyte

Genetic variation and temperature affects hybrid barriers during interspecific hybridization

Genomic imprinting regulates parent‐specific transcript dosage during seed development and is mainly confined to the endosperm. Elucidation of the function of many imprinted genes has been hampered by the lack of corresponding mutant phenotypes, and the role of imprinting is mainly associated with genome dosage regulation or allocation of resources. Disruption of imprinted genes has also been suggested to mediate endosperm‐based post‐zygotic hybrid barriers depending on genetic variation and gene dosage. Here, we have analyzed the conservation of a clade from the MADS‐box type I class transcription factors in the closely related species Arabidopsis arenosa, A. lyrata, and A. thaliana, and show that AGL36‐like genes are imprinted and maternally expressed in seeds of Arabidopsis species and in hybrid seeds between outbreeding species. In hybridizations between outbreeding and inbreeding species the paternally silenced allele of the AGL36‐like gene is reactivated in the hybrid, demonstrating that also maternally expressed imprinted genes are perturbed during hybridization and that such effects on imprinted genes are specific to the species combination. Furthermore, we also demonstrate a quantitative effect of genetic diversity and temperature on the strength of the post‐zygotic hybridization barrier. Markedly, a small decrease in temperature during seed development increases the survival of hybrid F1 seeds, suggesting that abiotic and genetic parameters play important roles in post‐zygotic species barriers, pointing at evolutionary scenarios favoring such effects

A General G1/S-Phase Cell-Cycle Control Module in the Flowering Plant <em>Arabidopsis thaliana</em>

<div><p>The decision to replicate its DNA is of crucial importance for every cell and, in many organisms, is decisive for the progression through the entire cell cycle. A comparison of animals versus yeast has shown that, although most of the involved cell-cycle regulators are divergent in both clades, they fulfill a similar role and the overall network topology of G1/S regulation is highly conserved. Using germline development as a model system, we identified a regulatory cascade controlling entry into S phase in the flowering plant <em>Arabidopsis thaliana</em>, which, as a member of the <em>Plantae</em> supergroup, is phylogenetically only distantly related to <em>Opisthokonts</em> such as yeast and animals. This module comprises the <em>Arabidopsis</em> homologs of the animal transcription factor E2F, the plant homolog of the animal transcriptional repressor Retinoblastoma (Rb)-related 1 (RBR1), the plant-specific F-box protein F-BOX-LIKE 17 (FBL17), the plant specific cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors KRPs, as well as CDKA;1, the plant homolog of the yeast and animal Cdc2⁺/Cdk1 kinases. Our data show that the principle of a double negative wiring of Rb proteins is highly conserved, likely representing a universal mechanism in eukaryotic cell-cycle control. However, this negative feedback of Rb proteins is differently implemented in plants as it is brought about through a quadruple negative regulation centered around the F-box protein FBL17 that mediates the degradation of CDK inhibitors but is itself directly repressed by Rb. Biomathematical simulations and subsequent experimental confirmation of computational predictions revealed that this regulatory circuit can give rise to hysteresis highlighting the here identified dosage sensitivity of CDK inhibitors in this network.</p> </div