Moderation of Arabidopsis Root Stemness by CLAVATA1 and ARABIDOPSIS CRINKLY4 Receptor Kinase Complexes

SummaryBackgroundThe root system of higher plants originates from the activity of a root meristem, which comprises a group of highly specialized and long-lasting stem cells. Their maintenance and number is controlled by the quiescent center (QC) cells and by feedback signaling from differentiated cells. Root meristems may have evolved from structurally distinct shoot meristems; however, no common player acting in stemness control has been found so far.ResultsWe show that CLAVATA1 (CLV1), a key receptor kinase in shoot stemness maintenance, performs a similar but distinct role in root meristems. We report that CLV1 is signaling, activated by the peptide ligand CLAVATA3/EMBRYO SURROUNDING REGION40 (CLE40), together with the receptor kinase ARABIDOPSIS CRINKLY4 (ACR4) to restrict root stemness. Both CLV1 and ACR4 overlap in their expression domains in the distal root meristem and localize to the plasma membrane (PM) and plasmodesmata (PDs), where ACR4 preferentially accumulates. Using multiparameter fluorescence image spectroscopy (MFIS), we show that CLV1 and ACR4 can form homo- and heteromeric complexes that differ in their composition depending on their subcellular localization.ConclusionsWe hypothesize that these homo- and heteromeric complexes may differentially regulate distal root meristem maintenance. We conclude that essential components of the ancestral shoot stemness regulatory system also act in the root and that the specific interaction of CLV1 with ACR4 serves to moderate and control stemness homeostasis in the root meristem. The structural differences between these two meristem types may have necessitated this recruitment of ACR4 for signaling by CLV1

Precision and accuracy of single-molecule FRET measurements - a multi-laboratory benchmark study

Single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) is increasingly being used to determine distances, structures, and dynamics of biomolecules in vitro and in vivo. However, generalized protocols and FRET standards to ensure the reproducibility and accuracy of measurements of FRET efficiencies are currently lacking. Here we report the results of a comparative blind study in which 20 labs determined the FRET efficiencies (E) of several dye-labeled DNA duplexes. Using a unified, straightforward method, we obtained FRET efficiencies with s.d. between ±0.02 and ±0.05. We suggest experimental and computational procedures for converting FRET efficiencies into accurate distances, and discuss potential uncertainties in the experiment and the modeling. Our quantitative assessment of the reproducibility of intensity-based smFRET measurements and a unified correction procedure represents an important step toward the validation of distance networks, with the ultimate aim of achieving reliable structural models of biomolecular systems by smFRET-based hybrid methods

Luminescent Copper(I)-Complexes with an Anionic NHC obtained via a Coordination Polymer as Versatile Precursor

The anionic diamido N-heterocyclic carbene 1 is used to prepare a series of linear as well as trigonal, heteroleptic CuI complexes with small molecular ligands such as pyridine derivatives or triphenylphosphine. A key role lies in the versatile precursor for these complexes, a moisture- and air-stable 1D coordination polymer [1·Cu]n composed of only the NHC ligand and CuI, such that the copper is linearly coordinated by the carbene carbon atom and one oxygen atom of the backbone of the carbene. This polymer can easily be cleaved into monomeric complexes by addition of the desired ligand to dispersions of the polymer in dichloromethane. In solution, the complexes are in equilibrium with this highly insoluble polymer and free ligand. Thus, analytical and spectroscopical experiments with the compounds are limited to their crystalline state, characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction experiments. Some of the complexes exhibit visible luminescence in the solid state upon irradiation with ultraviolet light. The spectral features (emission wavelength, Stokes shift, width of the emission band, vibrational fine structure) significantly differ among the complexes. Quantum mechanical computations reveal a subtle interplay of several factors such as coordination number and charge transfer character of the emissive state