Dissection génétique et chemogénomique des mécanismes d’adhésion cellulaire chez les plantes

Cell to cell adhesion in plants is mediated by the cell wall in which the components are cross-linked in order to create a continuum of polysaccharides linking the cells together. However the cell wall is a dynamic compartment that participates in growth and development through its constant loosening and remodeling and it is not very clear how cell adhesion is actually maintained in these conditions. In order to get a better understanding of the mechanisms that control cell adhesion in plants we used a combination of a forward genetic suppressor screen and a chemical genomic suppressor screen on the cell adhesion defective and pectin synthesis deficient mutants quasimodo1 and quasimodo2, and have isolated a number of suppressor mutants and molecules implicated in cell adhesion. The genetic screen led to the identification and study of a suppressor mutated in the gene ESMERALDA1, an uncharacterized putative O-fucosyltransferase. The genetic study of cell adhesion including another putative O-fucosyltransferase FRIABLE1 showed that the disruption of ESMD1 was sufficient to suppress the cell adhesion defect of qua1, qua2 and frb1, making it a major player of the pathway. The chemical genomic screen has revealed the implication of auxin transport and pectin methyl esterase activity in the process of cell adhesion. Based on these new information we have established a model explaining the loss of cell adhesion in the quasimodo and friable1 mutants, and from this model we have inferred the existence of the mechanisms that dynamically allow the maintenance of cell adhesion in plants during growth and development.L’adhésion cellulaire chez les plantes est permise par la présence de la paroi dont les composants sont réticulés afin de former un réseau de polysaccharides liant les cellules entre elles. Cependant, la paroi est un compartiment cellulaire dynamique qui participe à la croissance et au développement de la plante, notamment par son relâchement et sa réorganisation constante et nous ne savons pas exactement comment l'adhésion cellulaire est effectivement maintenue dans ces conditions. Afin d'obtenir une meilleure compréhension des mécanismes qui contrôlent l'adhésion cellulaire chez les plantes, nous avons utilisé une combinaison de crible génétique suppresseur et de crible chémogenomique suppresseur sur les mutants quasimodo1 et quasimodo2 présentant un défaut d'adhésion cellulaire accompagné d’une déficience de synthèse de pectine. Par ces approches nous avons pu isoler des mutants suppresseurs et des molécules chimiques impliquées dans l'adhésion cellulaire. Le crible génétique a conduit à l'identification et l'étude d'un suppresseur muté dans le gène ESMERALDA1, une O-fucosyltransférase putative non caractérisée. L'étude génétique du défaut d’adhésion cellulaire en incluant friable1, muté dans une autre O-fucosyltransférase putative, a montré que la mutation de ESMD1 était suffisante pour supprimer le défaut d'adhésion cellulaire de qua1, qua2 et frb1, ce qui en fait un acteur majeur de l’adhésion cellulaire. Le crible chemogenomic a montré l'implication du transport de l'auxine et de l'activité pectin méthylesterase dans le processus contrôlant l'adhésion cellulaire. Sur la base de ces nouvelles informations, nous avons établi un modèle qui explique la perte de l'adhésion cellulaire chez les mutants quasimodo et friable1, et à partir de ce modèle, nous avons pu déduire l'existence de mécanismes qui permettent le maintien de l'adhésion cellulaire de façon dynamique au cours de croissance et de développement chez les plantes

Le casque d'Agris, chef-d'oeuvre de l'art celtique occidental

Observations about style & region of fabrication of the IVth century B.C. prestigious celtic helmet from Agris (Charente, France)Remarques sur la stylistique et la région de production du casque d'apparat celtique du IVe siècle av. J.-C. d'Agris (Charente, France

Characterising the mechanics of cell–cell adhesion in plants

Cell–cell adhesion is a fundamental feature of multicellular organisms. To ensure multicellular integrity, adhesion needs to be tightly controlled and maintained. In plants, cell–cell adhesion remains poorly understood. Here, we argue that to be able to understand how cell–cell adhesion works in plants, we need to understand and quantitatively measure the mechanics behind it. We first introduce cell–cell adhesion in the context of multicellularity, briefly explain the notions of adhesion strength, work and energy and present the current knowledge concerning the mechanisms of cell–cell adhesion in plants. Because still relatively little is known in plants, we then turn to animals, but also algae, bacteria, yeast and fungi, and examine how adhesion works and how it can be quantitatively measured in these systems. From this, we explore how the mechanics of cell adhesion could be quantitatively characterised in plants, opening future perspectives for understanding plant multicellularity

FERONIA and microtubules independently contribute to mechanical integrity in the Arabidopsis shoot

To survive, cells must constantly resist mechanical stress. In plants, this involves the reinforcement of cell walls, notably through microtubule-dependent cellulose deposition. How wall sensing might contribute to this response is unknown. Here, we tested whether the microtubule response to stress acts downstream of known wall sensors. Using a multistep screen with 11 mutant lines, we identify FERONIA (FER) as the primary candidate for the cell's response to stress in the shoot. However, this does not imply that FER acts upstream of the microtubule response to stress. In fact, when performing mechanical perturbations, we instead show that the expected microtubule response to stress does not require FER. We reveal that the feronia phenotype can be partially rescued by reducing tensile stress levels. Conversely, in the absence of both microtubules and FER, cells appear to swell and burst. Altogether, this shows that the microtubule response to stress acts as an independent pathway to resist stress, in parallel to FER. We propose that both pathways are required to maintain the mechanical integrity of plant cells

High-throughput characterization of cortical microtubule arrays response to anisotropic tensile stress

BackgroundPlants can perceive and respond to mechanical signals. For instance, cortical microtubule (CMT) arrays usually reorganize following the predicted maximal tensile stress orientation at the cell and tissue level. While research in the last few years has started to uncover some of the mechanisms mediating these responses, much remains to be discovered, including in most cases the actual nature of the mechanosensors. Such discovery is hampered by the absence of adequate quantification tools that allow the accurate and sensitive detection of phenotypes, along with high throughput and automated handling of large datasets that can be generated with recent imaging devices.ResultsHere we describe an image processing workflow specifically designed to quantify CMT arrays response to tensile stress in time-lapse datasets following an ablation in the epidermis - a simple and robust method to change mechanical stress pattern. Our Fiji-based workflow puts together several plugins and algorithms under the form of user-friendly macros that automate the analysis process and remove user bias in the quantification. One of the key aspects is also the implementation of a simple geometry-based proxy to estimate stress patterns around the ablation site and compare it with the actual CMT arrays orientation. Testing our workflow on well-established reporter lines and mutants revealed subtle differences in the response over time, as well as the possibility to uncouple the anisotropic and orientational response.ConclusionThis new workflow opens the way to dissect with unprecedented detail the mechanisms controlling microtubule arrays re-organization, and potentially uncover the still largely elusive plant mechanosensors

De l'archéocave à l'archéogrenier

National audienc

Le casque d'Agris, chef-d'œuvre de l'art celtique occidental

National audienc