CYCD3 D-type cyclins regulate cambial cell proliferation and secondary growth in Arabidopsis

A major proportion of plant biomass is derived from the activity of the cambium, a lateral meristem responsible for vascular tissue formation and radial organ enlargement in a process termed secondary growth. In contrast to our relatively good understanding of the regulation of primary meristems, re...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of experimental botany 2015-08, Vol.66 (15), p.4595-4606
Main Authors: Collins, Carl, Maruthi, N. M., Jahn, Courtney E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arabidopsis - genetics
Arabidopsis - growth & development
Arabidopsis - metabolism
Arabidopsis Proteins - genetics
Arabidopsis Proteins - metabolism
Cambium - genetics
Cambium - growth & development
Cell Proliferation
Cyclins - genetics
Cyclins - metabolism
Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
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Summary:A major proportion of plant biomass is derived from the activity of the cambium, a lateral meristem responsible for vascular tissue formation and radial organ enlargement in a process termed secondary growth. In contrast to our relatively good understanding of the regulation of primary meristems, remarkably little is known concerning the mechanisms controlling secondary growth, particularly how cambial cell divisions are regulated and integrated with vascular differentiation. A genetic loss-of-function approach was used here to reveal a rate-limiting role for the Arabidopsis CYCLIN D3 (CYCD3) subgroup of cell-cycle genes in the control of cambial cell proliferation and secondary growth, providing conclusive evidence of a direct link between the cell cycle and vascular development. It is shown that all three CYCD3 genes are specifically expressed in the cambium throughout vascular development. Analysis of a triple loss-of-function CYCD3 mutant revealed a requirement for CYCD3 in promoting the cambial cell cycle since mutant stems and hypocotyls showed a marked reduction in diameter linked to reduced mitotic activity in the cambium. Conversely, loss of CYCD3 provoked an increase in xylem cell size and the expression of differentiation markers, showing that CYCD3 is required to restrain the differentiation of xylem precursor cells. Together, our data show that tight control of cambial cell division through developmental- and cell type-specific regulation of CYCD3 is required for normal vascular development, constituting part of a novel mechanism controlling organ growth in higher plants.
ISSN:0022-0957
1460-2431
DOI:10.1093/jxb/erv218