PMID- 33888716
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20210511
LR  - 20210513
IS  - 2041-1723 (Electronic)
IS  - 2041-1723 (Linking)
VI  - 12
IP  - 1
DP  - 2021 Apr 22
TI  - Structural variation at the maize WUSCHEL1 locus alters stem cell organization in 
      inflorescences.
PG  - 2378
LID - 10.1038/s41467-021-22699-8 [doi]
LID - 2378
AB  - Structural variation in plant genomes is a significant driver of phenotypic 
      variability in traits important for the domestication and productivity of crop 
      species. Among these are traits that depend on functional meristems, populations 
      of stem cells maintained by the CLAVATA-WUSCHEL (CLV-WUS) negative feedback-loop 
      that controls the expression of the WUS homeobox transcription factor. WUS 
      function and impact on maize development and yield remain largely unexplored. 
      Here we show that the maize dominant Barren inflorescence3 (Bif3) mutant harbors 
      a tandem duplicated copy of the ZmWUS1 gene, ZmWUS1-B, whose novel promoter 
      enhances transcription in a ring-like pattern. Overexpression of ZmWUS1-B is due 
      to multimerized binding sites for type-B RESPONSE REGULATORs (RRs), key 
      transcription factors in cytokinin signaling. Hypersensitivity to cytokinin 
      causes stem cell overproliferation and major rearrangements of Bif3 inflorescence 
      meristems, leading to the formation of ball-shaped ears and severely affecting 
      productivity. These findings establish ZmWUS1 as an essential meristem size 
      regulator in maize and highlight the striking effect of cis-regulatory variation 
      on a key developmental program.
FAU - Chen, Zongliang
AU  - Chen Z
AUID- ORCID: 0000-0003-1469-3699
AD  - Waksman Institute of Microbiology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 
      08854-8020, USA.
FAU - Li, Wei
AU  - Li W
AD  - Waksman Institute of Microbiology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 
      08854-8020, USA.
FAU - Gaines, Craig
AU  - Gaines C
AD  - Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La 
      Jolla, CA, 92093-0116, USA.
FAU - Buck, Amy
AU  - Buck A
AD  - Waksman Institute of Microbiology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 
      08854-8020, USA.
AD  - Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California San Diego, La 
      Jolla, CA, 92093-0116, USA.
FAU - Galli, Mary
AU  - Galli M
AUID- ORCID: 0000-0001-7413-9409
AD  - Waksman Institute of Microbiology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 
      08854-8020, USA.
FAU - Gallavotti, Andrea
AU  - Gallavotti A
AUID- ORCID: 0000-0002-1901-2971
AD  - Waksman Institute of Microbiology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 
      08854-8020, USA. agallavotti@waksman.rutgers.edu.
AD  - Department of Plant Biology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA. 
      agallavotti@waksman.rutgers.edu.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PT  - Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
DEP - 20210422
PL  - England
TA  - Nat Commun
JT  - Nature communications
JID - 101528555
RN  - 0 (Cytokinins)
RN  - 0 (Homeodomain Proteins)
RN  - 0 (Plant Proteins)
RN  - 0 (Transcription Factors)
SB  - IM
MH  - Crops, Agricultural/genetics/growth & development
MH  - Cytokinins/metabolism
MH  - Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
MH  - Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
MH  - Homeodomain Proteins/*genetics/metabolism
MH  - Inflorescence/cytology/*growth & development
MH  - Meristem/growth & development
MH  - Mutagenesis
MH  - Mutation
MH  - Plant Proteins/*genetics/metabolism
MH  - Plants, Genetically Modified
MH  - Quantitative Trait Loci
MH  - RNA-Seq
MH  - Signal Transduction/genetics
MH  - Stem Cells
MH  - Transcription Factors/genetics/*metabolism
MH  - Zea mays/genetics/*growth & development
PMC - PMC8062686
COIS- The authors declare no competing interests.
EDAT- 2021/04/24 06:00
MHDA- 2021/05/12 06:00
PMCR- 2021/04/22
CRDT- 2021/04/23 05:51
PHST- 2020/10/23 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2021/03/23 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2021/04/23 05:51 [entrez]
PHST- 2021/04/24 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2021/05/12 06:00 [medline]
PHST- 2021/04/22 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - 10.1038/s41467-021-22699-8 [pii]
AID - 22699 [pii]
AID - 10.1038/s41467-021-22699-8 [doi]
PST - epublish
SO  - Nat Commun. 2021 Apr 22;12(1):2378. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-22699-8.