The phytopathogen Rhodococcus fascians breaks apical dominance and activates axillary meristems by inducing plant genes involved in hormone metabolism

Removal of parabens from wastewater by Chlorella vulgaris-bacteria co-cultures

Anthropogenic activities have increased the dispersal of emerging contaminants (ECs), particularly of parabens, causing an escalation of their presence in wastewater (WW). Current WW technologies do not present satisfactory efficiency or sustainability in removing these contaminants. However, bioremediation with microalgae-based systems is proving to be a relevant technology for WW polishing, and the use of microalgae-bacteria consortia can improve the efficiency of WW treatment. This work aimed to study dual cultures of selected bacteria (Raoultella ornithinolytica, Acidovorax facilis, Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, Leucobacter sp. or Rhodococcus fascians) and the microalga Chlorella vulgaris in microbial growth and WW bioremediation - removal of methylparaben (MetP) and nutrients. The association with the bacteria was antagonistic for C. vulgaris biomass productivity as a result of the decreased growth kinetics in comparison to the axenic microalga. The presence of MetP did not disturb the growth of C. vulgaris under axenic or co-cultured conditions, except when associated with R. fascians, where growth enhancement was observed. The removal of MetP by the microalga was modest (circa 30 %, with a removal rate of 0.0343 mg/L.d), but increased remarkably when the consortia were used (> 50 %, with an average removal rate > 0.0779 mg/L.d), through biodegradation and photodegradation. For nutrient removal, the consortia were found to be less effective than the axenic microalga, except for nitrogen (N) removal by C. vulgaris w/ R. fascians. The overall results propose that C. vulgaris co-cultivation with bacteria can increase MetP removal, while negatively affecting the microalga growth and the consequent reduction of sludge production, highlighting the potential of microalgae-bacteria consortia for the effective polishing of WW contaminated with parabens.

Rhodococcus qingshengii facilitates the phytoextraction of Zn, Cd, Ni, and Pb from soils by Sedum alfredii Hance

The enhanced heavy metal (HM) phytoextraction efficiency of hyperaccumulating plants via plant-growth-promoting microbes has been proposed as an effective strategy to remove HMs from contaminated soil. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether catabolizing the abscisic acid (ABA) in hyperaccumulating plants via rhizobacteria can facilitate HM phytoextraction. In the present study, a hyperaccumulator, Sedum alfredii Hance, inoculated with an ABA-catabolizing bacterium Rhodococcus qingshengii, showed higher concentrations of Zn, Cd, Ni, and Pb in the contaminated paddy-grown plant shoots by 35%, 63%, 49%, and 49%, and in plants grown in mine soils by 112%, 105%, 46%, and 49%, respectively, than in the control_{bacteria-free} plants. However, no significant changes were observed in Cu content between these plants. Furthermore, parameters indicating phytoremediation potential, including the translocation factor (TF) and bioconcentration factor (BCF), revealed that bacterial inoculation could markedly increase the efficacy of Zn, Cd, Ni, and Pb phytoextraction from the soil. Notably, the bioavailabilities of HMs in soils were not influenced by R. qingshengii; however, the expression of transporters related to the uptake of these HMs, including SaIRT1, SaZIP1, SaZIP2, SaZIP3, SaNramp1, SaNramp3, SaNramp6, SaHMA2, and SaHMA3, was upregulated. These findings indicate that R. qingshengii inoculation could increase the HM-uptake ability of plants by catabolizing ABA and may provide a promising strategy for enhancing the phytoremediation efficacy in HM-contaminated soils.

Neovascularization during leafy gall formation on Arabidopsis thaliana upon Rhodococcus fascians infection

Extensive de novo vascularization of leafy galls emerging upon Rhodococcus fascians infection is achieved by fascicular/interfascicular cambium activity and transdifferentiation of parenchyma cells correlated with increased auxin signaling. A leafy gall consisting of fully developed yet growth-inhibited shoots, induced by the actinomycete Rhodococcus fascians, differs in structure compared to the callus-like galls induced by other bacteria. To get insight into the vascular development accompanying the emergence of the leafy gall, the anatomy of infected axillary regions of the inflorescence stem of wild-type Arabidopsis thaliana accession Col-0 plants and the auxin response in pDR5:GUS-tagged plants were followed in time. Based on our observations, three phases can be discerned during vascularization of the symptomatic tissue. First, existing fascicular cambium becomes activated and interfascicular cambium is formed giving rise to secondary vascular elements in a basipetal direction below the infection site in the main stem and in an acropetal direction in the entire side branch. Then, parenchyma cells in the region between both stems transdifferentiate acropetally towards the surface of the developing symptomatic tissue leading to the formation of xylem and vascularize the hyperplasia as they expand. Finally, parenchyma cells in the developing gall also transdifferentiate to vascular elements without any specific direction resulting in excessive vasculature disorderly distributed in the leafy gall. Prior to any apparent anatomical changes, a strong auxin response is mounted, implying that auxin is the signal that controls the vascular differentiation induced by the infection. To conclude, we propose the "sidetracking gall hypothesis" as we discuss the mechanisms driving the formation of superfluous vasculature of the emerging leafy gall.

Mining the genome of Rhodococcus fascians, a plant growth-promoting bacterium gone astray

Rhodococcus fascians is a phytopathogenic Gram-positive Actinomycete with a very broad host range encompassing especially dicotyledonous herbaceous perennials, but also some monocots, such as the Liliaceae and, recently, the woody crop pistachio. The pathogenicity of R. fascians strain D188 is known to be encoded by the linear plasmid pFiD188 and to be dictated by its capacity to produce a mixture of cytokinins. Here, we show that D188-5, the nonpathogenic plasmid-free derivative of the wild-type strain D188 actually has a plant growth-promoting effect. With the availability of the genome sequence of R. fascians, the chromosome of strain D188 was mined for putative plant growth-promoting functions and the functionality of some of these activities was tested. This analysis together with previous results suggests that the plant growth-promoting activity of R. fascians is due to production of plant growth modulators, such as auxin and cytokinin, combined with degradation of ethylene through 1-amino-cyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase. Moreover, R. fascians has several functions that could contribute to efficient colonization and competitiveness, but there is little evidence for a strong impact on plant nutrition. Possibly, the plant growth promotion encoded by the D188 chromosome is imperative for the epiphytic phase of the life cycle of R. fascians and prepares the plant to host the bacteria, thus ensuring proper continuation into the pathogenic phase.

Strigolactones as an auxiliary hormonal defence mechanism against leafy gall syndrome in Arabidopsis thaliana

Leafy gall syndrome is the consequence of modified plant development in response to a mixture of cytokinins secreted by the biotrophic actinomycete Rhodococcus fascians. The similarity of the induced symptoms with the phenotype of plant mutants defective in strigolactone biosynthesis and signalling prompted an evaluation of the involvement of strigolactones in this pathology. All tested strigolactone-related Arabidopsis thaliana mutants were hypersensitive to R. fascians. Moreover, treatment with the synthetic strigolactone mixture GR24 and with the carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase inhibitor D2 illustrated that strigolactones acted as antagonistic compounds that restricted the morphogenic activity of R. fascians. Transcript profiling of the MORE AXILLARY GROWTH1 (MAX1), MAX2, MAX3, MAX4, and BRANCHED1 (BRC1) genes in the wild-type Columbia-0 accession and in different mutant backgrounds revealed that upregulation of strigolactone biosynthesis genes was triggered indirectly by the bacterial cytokinins via host-derived auxin and led to the activation of BRC1 expression, inhibiting the outgrowth of the newly developing shoots, a typical hallmark of leafy gall syndrome. Taken together, these data support the emerging insight that balances are critical for optimal leafy gall development: the long-lasting biotrophic interaction is possible only because the host activates a set of countermeasures-including the strigolactone response-in reaction to bacterial cytokinins to constrain the activity of R. fascians.

Metabolomic-based study of the leafy gall, the ecological niche of the phytopathogen Rhodococcus fascians, as a potential source of bioactive compounds

Leafy gall is a plant hyperplasia induced upon Rhodococcus fascians infection. Previously, by genomic and transcriptomic analysis, it has been reported that, at the early stage of symptom development, both primary and secondary metabolisms are modified. The present study is based on the hypothesis that fully developed leafy gall, could represent a potential source of new bioactive compounds. Therefore, non-targeted metabolomic analysis of aqueous and chloroform extracts of leafy gall and non-infected tobacco was carried out by 1H-NMR coupled to principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal projections to latent structures-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). Polar metabolite profiling reflects modifications mainly in the primary metabolites and in some polyphenolics. In contrast, main modifications occurring in non-polar metabolites concern secondary metabolites, and gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS) evidenced alterations in diterpenoids family. Analysis of crude extracts of leafy galls and non-infected tobacco leaves exhibited a distinct antiproliferative activity against all four tested human cancer cell lines. A bio-guided fractionation of chloroformic crude extract yield to semi-purified fractions, which inhibited proliferation of glioblastoma U373 cells with IC50 between 14.0 and 2.4 µg/mL. Discussion is focused on the consequence of these metabolic changes, with respect to plant defense mechanisms following infection. Considering the promising role of diterpenoid family as bioactive compounds, leafy gall may rather be a propitious source for drug discovery.

pFiD188, the linear virulence plasmid of Rhodococcus fascians D188

Rhodococcus fascians is currently the only phytopathogen of which the virulence genes occur on a linear plasmid. To get insight into the origin of this replicon and into the virulence strategy of this broad-spectrum phytopathogen, the sequence of the linear plasmid of strain D188, pFiD188, was determined. Analysis of the 198,917 bp revealed four syntenic regions with linear plasmids of R. erythropolis, R. jostii, and R. opacus, suggesting a common origin of these replicons. Mutational analysis of pFi_086 and pFi_102, similar to cutinases and type IV peptidases, respectively, showed that conserved region R2 was involved in plasmid dispersal and pointed toward a novel function for actinobacterial cutinases in conjugation. Additionally, pFiD188 had three regions that were unique for R. fascians. Functional analysis of the stk and nrp loci of regions U2 and U3, respectively, indicated that their role in symptom development was limited compared with that of the previously identified fas, att, and hyp virulence loci situated in region U1. Thus, pFiD188 is a typical rhodococcal linear plasmid with a composite structure that encodes core functions involved in plasmid maintenance and accessory functions, some possibly acquired through horizontal gene transfer, implicated in virulence and the interaction with the host.

Plant-derived auxin plays an accessory role in symptom development upon Rhodococcus fascians infection

The biotrophic phytopathogen Rhodococcus fascians has a profound impact on plant development, mainly through its principal virulence factors, a mix of synergistically acting cytokinins that induce shoot formation. Expression profiling of marker genes for several auxin biosynthesis routes and mutant analysis demonstrated that the bacterial cytokinins stimulate the auxin biosynthesis of plants via specific targeting of the indole-3-pyruvic acid (IPA) pathway, resulting in enhanced auxin signaling in infected tissues. The double mutant tryptophan aminotransferase 1-1 tryptophan aminotransferase related 2-1 (taa1-1 tar2-1) of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), in which the IPA pathway is defective, displayed a decreased responsiveness towards R. fascians infection, although bacterial colonization and virulence gene expression were not impaired. These observations implied that plant-derived auxin was employed to reinforce symptom formation. Furthermore, the increased auxin production and, possibly, the accumulating bacterial cytokinins in infected plants modified the polar auxin transport so that new auxin maxima were repetitively established and distributed, a process that is imperative for symptom onset and maintenance. Based on these findings, we extend our model of the mode of action of bacterial and plant signals during the interaction between R. fascians and Arabidopsis.

A successful bacterial coup d'état: how Rhodococcus fascians redirects plant development

Rhodococcus fascians is a gram-positive phytopathogen that induces differentiated galls, known as leafy galls, on a wide variety of plants, employing virulence genes located on a linear plasmid. The pathogenic strategy consists of the production of a mixture of six synergistically acting cytokinins that overwhelm the plant's homeostatic mechanisms, ensuring the activation of a signaling cascade that targets the plant cell cycle and directs the newly formed cells to differentiate into shoot meristems. The shoots that are formed upon infection remain immature and never convert to source tissues resulting in the establishment of a nutrient sink that is a niche for the epiphytic and endophytic R. fascians subpopulations. Niche formation is accompanied by modifications of the transcriptome, metabolome, physiology, and morphology of both host and pathogen. Here, we review a decade of research and set the outlines of the molecular basis of the leafy gall syndrome.

Abscisic acid negatively regulates elicitor-induced synthesis of capsidiol in wild tobacco

In the Solanaceae, biotic and abiotic elicitors induce de novo synthesis of sesquiterpenoid stress metabolites known as phytoalexins. Because plant hormones play critical roles in the induction of defense-responsive genes, we have explored the effect of abscisic acid (ABA) on the synthesis of capsidiol, the major wild tobacco (Nicotiana plumbaginifolia) sesquiterpenoid phytoalexin, using wild-type plants versus nonallelic mutants Npaba2 and Npaba1 that are deficient in ABA synthesis. Npaba2 and Npaba1 mutants exhibited a 2-fold higher synthesis of capsidiol than wild-type plants when elicited with either cellulase or arachidonic acid or when infected by Botrytis cinerea. The same trend was observed for the expression of the capsidiol biosynthetic genes 5-epi-aristolochene synthase and 5-epi-aristolochene hydroxylase. Treatment of wild-type plants with fluridone, an inhibitor of the upstream ABA pathway, recapitulated the behavior of Npaba2 and Npaba1 mutants, while the application of exogenous ABA reversed the enhanced synthesis of capsidiol in Npaba2 and Npaba1 mutants. Concomitant with the production of capsidiol, we observed the induction of ABA 8'-hydroxylase in elicited plants. In wild-type plants, the induction of ABA 8'-hydroxylase coincided with a decrease in ABA content and with the accumulation of ABA catabolic products such as phaseic acid and dihydrophaseic acid, suggesting a negative regulation exerted by ABA on capsidiol synthesis. Collectively, our data indicate that ABA is not required per se for the induction of capsidiol synthesis but is essentially implicated in a stress-response checkpoint to fine-tune the amplification of capsidiol synthesis in challenged plants.

Metabolic shift in the phytopathogen Rhodococcus fascians in response to cell-free extract of infected tobacco plant tissues

The phytopathogen Rhodococcus fascians induces the development of leafy gall, which is considered to be its ecological niche. To obtain a view of the metabolic changes occurring in R. fascians during this process, an in vitro system was used where bacteria are grown in the presence of a leafy gall extract, a condition mimicking that found by the bacteria in infected plants. Proteins of R. fascians grown for 24 h under these conditions were displayed by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Fifteen polypeptides showing a differential accumulation in response to the inducing conditions were analyzed by mass spectrometry. Two polypeptides potentially linked to the Krebs cycle, a pyruvate dehydrogenase and a fumarate hydratase, were further characterized and shown to be downregulated at the transcriptional level. The identification of these two enzymes suggests that R. fascians may shift its metabolism during the interaction with plants from the Krebs cycle to the glyoxylate shunt.

An integrated genomics approach to define niche establishment by Rhodococcus fascians

Rhodococcus fascians is a Gram-positive phytopathogen that induces shooty hyperplasia on its hosts through the secretion of cytokinins. Global transcriptomics using microarrays combined with profiling of primary metabolites on infected Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants revealed that this actinomycete modulated pathways to convert its host into a niche. The transcript data demonstrated that R. fascians leaves a very characteristic mark on Arabidopsis with a pronounced cytokinin response illustrated by the activation of cytokinin perception, signal transduction, and homeostasis. The microarray data further suggested active suppression of an oxidative burst during the R. fascians pathology, and comparison with publicly available transcript data sets implied a central role for auxin in the prevention of plant defense activation. Gene Ontology categorization of the differentially expressed genes hinted at a significant impact of infection on the primary metabolism of the host, which was confirmed by subsequent metabolite profiling. The much higher levels of sugars and amino acids in infected plants are presumably accessed by the bacteria as carbon and nitrogen sources to support epiphytic and endophytic colonization. Hexoses, accumulating from a significantly increased invertase activity, possibly inhibited the expression of photosynthesis genes and photosynthetic activity in infected leaves. Altogether, these changes are indicative of sink development in symptomatic tissues. The metabolomics data furthermore point to the possible occurrence of secondary signaling during the interaction, which might contribute to symptom development. These data are placed in the context of regulation of bacterial virulence gene expression, suppression of defense, infection phenotype, and niche establishment.

Eternal youth, the fate of developing Arabidopsis leaves upon Rhodococcus fascians infection

The phytopathogenic actinomycete Rhodococcus fascians induces neoplastic shooty outgrowths on infected hosts. Upon R. fascians infection of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), leaves are formed with small narrow lamina and serrated margins. These symptomatic leaves exhibit reduced tissue differentiation, display more but smaller cells that do not endoreduplicate, and accumulate in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Together, these features imply that leaf growth occurs primarily through mitotic cell division and not via cell expansion. Molecular analysis revealed that cell cycle gene expression is activated continuously throughout symptomatic leaf development, ensuring persistent mitotic cycling and inhibition of cell cycle exit. The transition at the two major cell cycle checkpoints is stimulated as a direct consequence of the R. fascians signals. The extremely reduced phenotypical response of a cyclind3;1-3 triple knockout mutant indicates that the D-type cyclin/retinoblastoma/E2F transcription factor pathway, as a major mediator of cell growth and cell cycle progression, plays a key role in symptom development and is instrumental for the sustained G1-to-S and G2-to-M transitions during symptomatic leaf growth.

The ER luminal binding protein (BiP) mediates an increase in drought tolerance in soybean and delays drought-induced leaf senescence in soybean and tobacco

The ER-resident molecular chaperone BiP (binding protein) was overexpressed in soybean. When plants growing in soil were exposed to drought (by reducing or completely withholding watering) the wild-type lines showed a large decrease in leaf water potential and leaf wilting, but the leaves in the transgenic lines did not wilt and exhibited only a small decrease in water potential. During exposure to drought the stomata of the transgenic lines did not close as much as in the wild type, and the rates of photosynthesis and transpiration became less inhibited than in the wild type. These parameters of drought resistance in the BiP overexpressing lines were not associated with a higher level of the osmolytes proline, sucrose, and glucose. It was also not associated with the typical drought-induced increase in root dry weight. Rather, at the end of the drought period, the BiP overexpressing lines had a lower level of the osmolytes and root weight than the wild type. The mRNA abundance of several typical drought-induced genes [NAC2, a seed maturation protein (SMP), a glutathione-S-transferase (GST), antiquitin, and protein disulphide isomerase 3 (PDI-3)] increased in the drought-stressed wild-type plants. Compared with the wild type, the increase in mRNA abundance of these genes was less (in some genes much less) in the BiP overexpressing lines that were exposed to drought. The effect of drought on leaf senescence was investigated in soybean and tobacco. It had previously been reported that tobacco BiP overexpression or repression reduced or accentuated the effects of drought. BiP overexpressing tobacco and soybean showed delayed leaf senescence during drought. BiP antisense tobacco plants, conversely, showed advanced leaf senescence. It is concluded that BiP overexpression confers resistance to drought, through an as yet unknown mechanism that is related to ER functioning. The delay in leaf senescence by BiP overexpression might relate to the absence of the response to drought.

Terpene biosynthesis in glandular trichomes of hop

Hop (Humulus lupulus L. Cannabaceae) is an economically important crop for the brewing industry, where it is used to impart flavor and aroma to beer, and has also drawn attention in recent years due to its potential pharmaceutical applications. Essential oils (mono- and sesquiterpenes), bitter acids (prenylated polyketides), and prenylflavonoids are the primary phytochemical components that account for these traits, and all accumulate at high concentrations in glandular trichomes of hop cones. To understand the molecular basis for terpene accumulation in hop trichomes, a trichome cDNA library was constructed and 9,816 cleansed expressed sequence tag (EST) sequences were obtained from random sequencing of 16,152 cDNA clones. The ESTs were assembled into 3,619 unigenes (1,101 contigs and 2,518 singletons). Putative functions were assigned to the unigenes based on their homology to annotated sequences in the GenBank database. Two mono- and two sesquiterpene synthases identified from the EST collection were expressed in Escherichia coli. Hop MONOTERPENE SYNTHASE2 formed the linear monterpene myrcene from geranyl pyrophosphate, whereas hop SESQUITERPENE SYNTHASE1 (HlSTS1) formed both caryophyllene and humulene from farnesyl pyrophosphate. Together, these enzymes account for the production of the major terpene constituents of the hop trichomes. HlSTS2 formed the minor sesquiterpene constituent germacrene A, which was converted to beta-elemene on chromatography at elevated temperature. We discuss potential functions for other genes expressed at high levels in developing hop trichomes.

Modulation of the hormone setting by Rhodococcus fascians results in ectopic KNOX activation in Arabidopsis

The biotrophic actinomycete Rhodococcus fascians has a profound impact on plant development and a common aspect of the symptomatology is the deformation of infected leaves. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), the serrated leaf margins formed upon infection resemble the leaf phenotype of transgenic plants with ectopic expression of KNOTTED-like homeobox (KNOX) genes. Through transcript profiling, we demonstrate that class-I KNOX genes are transcribed in symptomatic leaves. Functional analysis revealed that BREVIPEDICELLUS/KNOTTED-LIKE1 and mainly SHOOT MERISTEMLESS were essential for the observed leaf dissection. However, these results also positioned the KNOX genes downstream in the signaling cascade triggered by R. fascians infection. The much faster activation of ARABIDOPSIS RESPONSE REGULATOR5 and the establishment of homeostatic and feedback mechanisms to control cytokinin (CK) levels support the overrepresentation of this hormone in infected plants due to the secretion by the pathogen, thereby placing the CK response high up in the cascade. Hormone measurements show a net decrease of tested CKs, indicating either that secretion by the bacterium and degradation by the plant are in balance, or, as suggested by the strong reaction of 35S:CKX plants, that other CKs are at play. At early time points of the interaction, activation of gibberellin 2-oxidase presumably installs a local hormonal setting favorable for meristematic activity that provokes leaf serrations. The results are discussed in the context of symptom development, evasion of plant defense, and the establishment of a specific niche by R. fascians.

The tobacco Ntann12 gene, encoding an annexin, is induced upon Rhodoccocus fascians infection and during leafy gall development

SUMMARY Annexins are calcium-binding proteins that have been associated in plants with different biological processes such as responses to abiotic stress and early nodulation stages. Until now, the implication of annexins during plant-pathogen interactions has not been reported. Here, a novel plant annexin gene induced in tobacco BY-2 cell suspension cultures infected with the phytopathogenic bacterium Rhodococcus fascians (strain D188) has been identified. Expression of this gene, called Ntann12, is also induced, but to a lower extent, by a strain (D188-5) that is unable to induce leafy gall formation. This gene was also induced in BY-2 cells infected with Pseudomonas syringae but not in cells infected with Agrobacterium tumefaciens or Escherichia coli. Ntann12 expression was also found to be stimulated by abiotic stress, including NaCl and abscissic acid, confirming a putative role in stress signal transduction pathways. In addition, promoter-GUS analyses using homozygous transgenic tobacco seedlings showed that the developmentally controlled expression of Ntann12 is altered upon R. fascians infection. Finally, up-regulation of Ntann12 during leafy gall ontogenesis was confirmed by RT-qPCR. Discussion is focused on the potential role of Ntann12 in biotic and abiotic stress responses and in plant development, both processes that may involve Ca(2+)-dependent signalling.

Rhodococcus fascians infection accelerates progression of tobacco BY-2 cells into mitosis through rapid changes in plant gene expression

* To characterize plant cell cycle activation following Rhodococcus fascians infection, bacterial impact on cell cycle progression of tobacco BY-2 cells was investigated. * S-phase-synchronized BY-2 cells were cocultivated with R. fascians and cell cycle progression was monitored by measuring mitotic index, cell cycle gene expression and flow cytometry parameters. Cell cycle alteration was further investigated by cDNA-AFLP (amplified fragment length polymorphism). * It was shown that cell cycle progression of BY-2 cells was accelerated only upon infection with bacteria whose virulence gene expression was induced by a leafy gall extract. Thirty-eight BY-2 genes showed a differential expression within 6 h post-infection. Among these, seven were previously associated with specific plant cell cycle phases (in particular S and G2/M phases). Several genes also showed a differential expression during leafy gall formation. * R. fascians-infected BY-2 cells provide a simple model to identify plant genes related to leafy gall development. R. fascians can also be regarded as a useful biotic agent to alter cell cycle progression and, thereby, gain a better understanding of cell cycle regulation in plants.