Publication Date:
2019-08-23
Description:
In plants, secondary growth results in radial expansion of stems and roots, generating large amounts of biomass in the form of wood. Using genome-wide association studies (GWAS)-guided reverse genetics inArabidopsis thaliana, we discoveredSOBIR1/EVR, previously known to control plant immunoresponses and abscission, as a regulator of secondary growth. We present anatomical, genetic, and molecular evidence indicating that SOBIR1/EVR prevents the precocious differentiation of xylem fiber, a key cell type for wood development. SOBIR1/EVR acts through a mechanism that involves BREVIPEDICELLUS (BP) and ERECTA (ER), 2 proteins previously known to regulate xylem fiber development. We demonstrate that BP bindsSOBIR1/EVRpromoter and thatSOBIR1/EVRexpression is enhanced inbpmutants, suggesting a direct, negative regulation of BP overSOBIR1/EVRexpression. We show that SOBIR1/EVR physically interacts with ER and that defects caused by thesobir1/evrmutation are aggravated by mutatingER, indicating that SOBIR1/EVR and ERECTA act together in the control of the precocious formation of xylem fiber development.
Print ISSN:
0027-8424
Electronic ISSN:
1091-6490
Topics:
Biology
,
Medicine
,
Natural Sciences in General
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