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Geng Y, Xie C, Yan A, Yang X, Lai DN, Liu X, Zhou Y. A conserved GRAS-domain transcriptional regulator links meristem indeterminacy to sex determination in Ceratopteris gametophytes. Curr Biol 2024; 34:3454-3472.e7. [PMID: 39059395 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.06.064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
Most land plants alternate between generations of sexual gametophytes and asexual sporophytes. Unlike seed plants, fern gametophytes are free living and grow independently of their sporophytes. In homosporous ferns such as Ceratopteris, gametophytes derived from genetically identical spores exhibit sexual dimorphism, developing as either males or hermaphrodites. Males lack meristems and promote cell differentiation into sperm-producing antheridia. In contrast, hermaphrodites initiate multicellular meristems that stay undifferentiated, sustain cell division and prothallus expansion, and drive the formation of egg-producing archegonia. Once initiating the meristem, hermaphrodites secrete the pheromone antheridiogen, which triggers neighboring slower-growing gametophytes to develop as males, while the hermaphrodites themselves remain insensitive to antheridiogen. This strategy promotes outcrossing and prevents all individuals in the colony from becoming males. This study reveals that an evolutionarily conserved GRAS-domain transcriptional regulator (CrHAM), directly repressed by Ceratopteris microRNA171 (CrmiR171), promotes meristem development in Ceratopteris gametophytes and determines the male-to-hermaphrodite ratio in the colony. CrHAM preferentially accumulates within the meristems of hermaphrodites but is excluded from differentiated antheridia. CrHAM sustains meristem proliferation and cell division through conserved hormone pathways. In the meantime, CrHAM inhibits the antheridiogen-induced conversion of hermaphrodites to males by suppressing the male program expression and preventing meristem cells from differentiating into sperm-producing antheridia. This finding establishes a connection between meristem indeterminacy and sex determination in ferns, suggesting both conserved and diversified roles of meristem regulators in land plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Geng
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; Purdue Center for Plant Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Chong Xie
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; Purdue Center for Plant Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - An Yan
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Xi Yang
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; Purdue Center for Plant Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Dinh Nhan Lai
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; Purdue Center for Plant Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Xing Liu
- Purdue Center for Plant Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Yun Zhou
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; Purdue Center for Plant Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
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Hisanaga T, Wu S, Schafran P, Axelsson E, Akimcheva S, Dolan L, Li F, Berger F. The ancestral chromatin landscape of land plants. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 240:2085-2101. [PMID: 37823324 PMCID: PMC10952607 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies have shown that correlations between chromatin modifications and transcription vary among eukaryotes. This is the case for marked differences between the chromatin of the moss Physcomitrium patens and the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha. Mosses and liverworts diverged from hornworts, altogether forming the lineage of bryophytes that shared a common ancestor with land plants. We aimed to describe chromatin in hornworts to establish synapomorphies across bryophytes and approach a definition of the ancestral chromatin organization of land plants. We used genomic methods to define the 3D organization of chromatin and map the chromatin landscape of the model hornwort Anthoceros agrestis. We report that nearly half of the hornwort transposons were associated with facultative heterochromatin and euchromatin and formed the center of topologically associated domains delimited by protein coding genes. Transposons were scattered across autosomes, which contrasted with the dense compartments of constitutive heterochromatin surrounding the centromeres in flowering plants. Most of the features observed in hornworts are also present in liverworts or in mosses but are distinct from flowering plants. Hence, the ancestral genome of bryophytes was likely a patchwork of units of euchromatin interspersed within facultative and constitutive heterochromatin. We propose this genome organization was ancestral to land plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tetsuya Hisanaga
- Gregor Mendel InstituteAustrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna BioCenterDr. Bohr‐Gasse 3Vienna1030Austria
| | - Shuangyang Wu
- Gregor Mendel InstituteAustrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna BioCenterDr. Bohr‐Gasse 3Vienna1030Austria
| | | | - Elin Axelsson
- Gregor Mendel InstituteAustrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna BioCenterDr. Bohr‐Gasse 3Vienna1030Austria
| | - Svetlana Akimcheva
- Gregor Mendel InstituteAustrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna BioCenterDr. Bohr‐Gasse 3Vienna1030Austria
| | - Liam Dolan
- Gregor Mendel InstituteAustrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna BioCenterDr. Bohr‐Gasse 3Vienna1030Austria
| | - Fay‐Wei Li
- Boyce Thompson InstituteIthacaNY14853USA
- Plant Biology SectionCornell UniversityIthacaNY14853USA
| | - Frédéric Berger
- Gregor Mendel InstituteAustrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna BioCenterDr. Bohr‐Gasse 3Vienna1030Austria
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Sessa EB, Masalia RR, Arrigo N, Barker MS, Pelosi JA. GOgetter: A pipeline for summarizing and visualizing GO slim annotations for plant genetic data. APPLICATIONS IN PLANT SCIENCES 2023; 11:e11536. [PMID: 37601315 PMCID: PMC10439822 DOI: 10.1002/aps3.11536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Premise The functional annotation of genes is a crucial component of genomic analyses. A common way to summarize functional annotations is with hierarchical gene ontologies, such as the Gene Ontology (GO) Resource. GO includes information about the cellular location, molecular function(s), and products/processes that genes produce or are involved in. For a set of genes, summarizing GO annotations using pre-defined, higher-order terms (GO slims) is often desirable in order to characterize the overall function of the data set, and it is impractical to do this manually. Methods and Results The GOgetter pipeline consists of bash and Python scripts. From an input FASTA file of nucleotide gene sequences, it outputs text and image files that list (1) the best hit for each input gene in a set of reference gene models, (2) all GO terms and annotations associated with those hits, and (3) a summary and visualization of GO slim categories for the data set. These output files can be queried further and analyzed statistically, depending on the downstream need(s). Conclusions GO annotations are a widely used "universal language" for describing gene functions and products. GOgetter is a fast and easy-to-implement pipeline for obtaining, summarizing, and visualizing GO slim categories associated with a set of genes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rishi R. Masalia
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of ArizonaTucsonArizonaUSA
| | | | - Michael S. Barker
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of ArizonaTucsonArizonaUSA
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Wu X, Liu X, Zhang S, Zhou Y. Cell Division and Meristem Dynamics in Fern Gametophytes. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:209. [PMID: 36616337 PMCID: PMC9823664 DOI: 10.3390/plants12010209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 12/31/2022] [Accepted: 12/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
One of the most important questions in all multicellular organisms is how to define and maintain different cell fates during continuous cell division and proliferation. Plant meristems provide a unique research system to address this fundamental question because meristems dynamically maintain themselves and sustain organogenesis through balancing cell division and cell differentiation. Different from the gametophytes of seed plants that depend on their sporophytes and lack meristems, the gametophytes of seed-free ferns develop different types of meristems (including apical cell-based meristems and multicellular apical and marginal meristems) to promote independent growth and proliferation during the sexual gametophyte phase. Recent studies combining confocal time-lapse imaging and computational image analysis reveal the cellular basis of the initiation and proliferation of different types of meristems in fern gametophytes, providing new insights into the evolution of meristems in land plants. In this review, we summarize the recent progress in understanding the cell growth dynamics in fern gametophytes and discuss both conserved and diversified mechanisms underlying meristem cell proliferation in seed-free vascular plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Wu
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
- Purdue Center for Plant Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
- Center of Pear Engineering Technology Research, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Xing Liu
- Purdue Center for Plant Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Shaoling Zhang
- Center of Pear Engineering Technology Research, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Yun Zhou
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
- Purdue Center for Plant Biology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
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León-Ruiz JA, Cruz Ramírez A. Predicted landscape of RETINOBLASTOMA-RELATED LxCxE-mediated interactions across the Chloroplastida. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 112:1507-1524. [PMID: 36305297 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
The colonization of land by a single streptophyte algae lineage some 450 million years ago has been linked to multiple key innovations such as three-dimensional growth, alternation of generations, the presence of stomata, as well as innovations inherent to the birth of major plant lineages, such as the origins of vascular tissues, roots, seeds and flowers. Multicellularity, which evolved multiple times in the Chloroplastida coupled with precise spatiotemporal control of proliferation and differentiation were instrumental for the evolution of these traits. RETINOBLASTOMA-RELATED (RBR), the plant homolog of the metazoan Retinoblastoma protein (pRB), is a highly conserved and multifunctional core cell cycle regulator that has been implicated in the evolution of multicellularity in the green lineage as well as in plant multicellularity-related processes such as proliferation, differentiation, stem cell regulation and asymmetric cell division. RBR fulfills these roles through context-specific protein-protein interactions with proteins containing the Leu-x-Cys-x-Glu (LxCxE) short-linear motif (SLiM); however, how RBR-LxCxE interactions have changed throughout major innovations in the Viridiplantae kingdom is a question that remains unexplored. Here, we employ an in silico evo-devo approach to predict and analyze potential RBR-LxCxE interactions in different representative species of key Chloroplastida lineages, providing a valuable resource for deciphering RBR-LxCxE multiple functions. Furthermore, our analyses suggest that RBR-LxCxE interactions are an important component of RBR functions and that interactions with chromatin modifiers/remodelers, DNA replication and repair machinery are highly conserved throughout the Viridiplantae, while LxCxE interactions with transcriptional regulators likely diversified throughout the water-to-land transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús A León-Ruiz
- Molecular and Developmental Complexity Group, Unidad de Genómica Avanzada, Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, Cinvestav Sede Irapuato, Km. 9.6 Libramiento Norte Carretera, Irapuato-León, Irapuato, 36821, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - Alfredo Cruz Ramírez
- Molecular and Developmental Complexity Group, Unidad de Genómica Avanzada, Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad, Cinvestav Sede Irapuato, Km. 9.6 Libramiento Norte Carretera, Irapuato-León, Irapuato, 36821, Guanajuato, Mexico
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Aragón-Raygoza A, Herrera-Estrella L, Cruz-Ramírez A. Transcriptional analysis of Ceratopteris richardii young sporophyte reveals conservation of stem cell factors in the root apical meristem. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:924660. [PMID: 36035690 PMCID: PMC9413220 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.924660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Gene expression in roots has been assessed in different plant species in studies ranging from complete organs to specific cell layers, and more recently at the single cell level. While certain genes or functional categories are expressed in the root of all or most plant species, lineage-specific genes have also been discovered. An increasing amount of transcriptomic data is available for angiosperms, while a limited amount of data is available for ferns, and few studies have focused on fern roots. Here, we present a de novo transcriptome assembly from three different parts of the Ceratopteris richardii young sporophyte. Differential gene expression analysis of the root tip transcriptional program showed an enrichment of functional categories related to histogenesis and cell division, indicating an active apical meristem. Analysis of a diverse set of orthologous genes revealed conserved expression in the root meristem, suggesting a preserved role for different developmental roles in this tissue, including stem cell maintenance. The reconstruction of evolutionary trajectories for ground tissue specification genes suggests a high degree of conservation in vascular plants, but not for genes involved in root cap development, showing that certain genes are absent in Ceratopteris or have intricate evolutionary paths difficult to track. Overall, our results suggest different processes of conservation and divergence of genes involved in root development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Aragón-Raygoza
- Molecular and Developmental Complexity Group, Unidad De Genómica Avanzada, Laboratorio Nacional De Genómica Para la Biodiversidad, Cinvestav Unidad Irapuato, Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico
- Metabolic Engineering Group, Unidad De Genómica Avanzada, Laboratorio Nacional De Genómica Para la Biodiversidad, Cinvestav Unidad Irapuato, Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - Luis Herrera-Estrella
- Metabolic Engineering Group, Unidad De Genómica Avanzada, Laboratorio Nacional De Genómica Para la Biodiversidad, Cinvestav Unidad Irapuato, Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico
- Department of Plant and Soil Science, Institute of Genomics for Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Alfredo Cruz-Ramírez
- Molecular and Developmental Complexity Group, Unidad De Genómica Avanzada, Laboratorio Nacional De Genómica Para la Biodiversidad, Cinvestav Unidad Irapuato, Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico
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