Mechanical stress contributes to the expression of the STM homeobox gene in Arabidopsis shoot meristems
Benoît Landrein,
Annamaria Kiss,
Massimiliano Sassi,
Aurélie Chauvet,
Pradeep Das,
Millan Cortizo,
Patrick Laufs,
Seiji Takeda,
Mitsuhiro Aida,
Jan Traas,
Teva Vernoux,
Arezki Boudaoud,
Olivier Hamant
Affiliations
Benoît Landrein
Laboratoire de Reproduction de développement des plantes, INRA, CNRS, ENS Lyon, UCB Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France; Laboratoire Joliot-Curie, Laboratoire de Physique, CNRS, ENS Lyon, UCB Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
Annamaria Kiss
Laboratoire de Reproduction de développement des plantes, INRA, CNRS, ENS Lyon, UCB Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France; Laboratoire Joliot-Curie, Laboratoire de Physique, CNRS, ENS Lyon, UCB Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
Laboratoire de Reproduction de développement des plantes, INRA, CNRS, ENS Lyon, UCB Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
Aurélie Chauvet
Laboratoire de Reproduction de développement des plantes, INRA, CNRS, ENS Lyon, UCB Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France; Laboratoire Joliot-Curie, Laboratoire de Physique, CNRS, ENS Lyon, UCB Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
Pradeep Das
Laboratoire de Reproduction de développement des plantes, INRA, CNRS, ENS Lyon, UCB Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France; Laboratoire Joliot-Curie, Laboratoire de Physique, CNRS, ENS Lyon, UCB Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
Millan Cortizo
INRA, Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, UMR 1318, ERL CNRS 3559, Saclay Plant Sciences, Versailles, France; AgroParisTech, Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, UMR 1318, ERL CNRS 3559, Saclay Plant Sciences, Versailles, France
Patrick Laufs
INRA, Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, UMR 1318, ERL CNRS 3559, Saclay Plant Sciences, Versailles, France; AgroParisTech, Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, UMR 1318, ERL CNRS 3559, Saclay Plant Sciences, Versailles, France
Seiji Takeda
Cell and Genome Biology, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Kyoto Prefectural University, Kyoto, Japan
Mitsuhiro Aida
Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Nara, Japan
Jan Traas
Laboratoire de Reproduction de développement des plantes, INRA, CNRS, ENS Lyon, UCB Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
Teva Vernoux
Laboratoire de Reproduction de développement des plantes, INRA, CNRS, ENS Lyon, UCB Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
Arezki Boudaoud
Laboratoire de Reproduction de développement des plantes, INRA, CNRS, ENS Lyon, UCB Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France; Laboratoire Joliot-Curie, Laboratoire de Physique, CNRS, ENS Lyon, UCB Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
Olivier Hamant
Laboratoire de Reproduction de développement des plantes, INRA, CNRS, ENS Lyon, UCB Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France; Laboratoire Joliot-Curie, Laboratoire de Physique, CNRS, ENS Lyon, UCB Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
The role of mechanical signals in cell identity determination remains poorly explored in tissues. Furthermore, because mechanical stress is widespread, mechanical signals are difficult to uncouple from biochemical-based transduction pathways. Here we focus on the homeobox gene SHOOT MERISTEMLESS (STM), a master regulator and marker of meristematic identity in Arabidopsis. We found that STM expression is quantitatively correlated to curvature in the saddle-shaped boundary domain of the shoot apical meristem. As tissue folding reflects the presence of mechanical stress, we test and demonstrate that STM expression is induced after micromechanical perturbations. We also show that STM expression in the boundary domain is required for organ separation. While STM expression correlates with auxin depletion in this domain, auxin distribution and STM expression can also be uncoupled. STM expression and boundary identity are thus strengthened through a synergy between auxin depletion and an auxin-independent mechanotransduction pathway at the shoot apical meristem.