Biology subjects

Ferrandiz, C.

Publications and source records attributed to Ferrandiz, C..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

The proximal proteome of FLOWERING LOCUS T LIKE 1 during rice panicle development suggests cell-to-cell mobility features

Flowering is promoted by perception of favorable environmental stimuli. In rice, exposure of leaves to short days induces the differentiation of a branched inflorescence called panicle at the shoot apical meristem (SAM). Systemic communication from the leaves to the SAM is mediated by members of the phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein (PEBP) family, including HEADING DATE 3a (Hd3a) and RICE FLOWERING LOCUS T 1 (RFT1), commonly referred to as florigens. Florigens are [~]20kDa proteins translated in leaf companion cells and loaded into the phloematic stream, through which they reach the SAM. Once in meristematic cells, they are translocated to the nucleus, where they form higher-order protein complexes that include transcription factors and drive transcriptional reprogramming of meristematic cells. The activity of Hd3a and RFT1 at the SAM is partly mediated by FLOWERING LOCUS T LIKE 1 (FTL1) encoding a florigen-like protein required to accelerate flowering and establish the branching pattern of the panicle. The photoperiodic regulatory network is largely based on protein-protein interactions (PPIs), that take place in different tissues and in response to environmental variation. Capturing the full extent of these interactions for a specific protein and in vivo is a challenging task. Here, we developed a protocol of Proximity Labeling (PL) to study the interactome of FTL1 in developing panicles. We show that FTL1 associates with, or is proximal to, several proteins implicated in vesicular trafficking, microtubule binding and transcriptional regulation. Using a transient system, we demonstrate that FTL1 can actively move between cells, similarly to Hd3a and RFT1. This study establishes a protocol to implement PL for the study of a dynamic process during rice reproductive development, identifies interactors of FTL1, and suggests novel features possibly linked to its function.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2023

DEVIL peptides control cell growth and differentiation in different plant developmental processes

The DEVIL/ROTUNDIFOLIA-LIKE (DVL/RTFL) family of plant peptides is present in all land plants, but their biological role and mode of action remains largely unknown, in part due to the lack of reported phenotypes associated to DVL/RTFL loss of function. In this work we have generated high order mutants and characterized their phenotypes in reproductive development. Our results indicate that dvl mutants are affected in cell elongation processes, mainly related to pollen tube growth, and they appear to provide robustness to these processes. We also show that DVL peptides may act in different domains to those where the corresponding genes are transcribed, suggesting a putative role in the coordination of organ growth by participating in cell-to-cell communication.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2023

HB21/40/53 promotes inflorescence arrest through ABA accumulation at the end of flowering

Flowers are produced by the activity of the inflorescence meristem after the floral transition. In plants with indeterminate inflorescences, as Arabidopsis, the final number of flowers produced by the inflorescence meristem will depend on two main factors, the rate of flower production by the meristem and the duration of the phase of inflorescence meristem activity. The end of flowering, understood as the moment when the inflorescence stops the production of new flowers, is associated with the meristem proliferative arrest. At this time point, the meristem ceases to initiate new floral primordia and the unpollinated flowers already formed arrest their development. It has been known for a long time that fruit/seed production induces inflorescence meristem arrest, but the mechanisms controlling this process were elusive. During the last years, the regulation of the end of flowering has started to be elucidated in Arabidopsis. The meristem arrest at the end of flowering is controlled at the genetic level by the FRUITFULL-APETALA2 (FUL-AP2) pathway, that modulates meristem activity. The meristem arrest has been also shown to be controlled at the hormonal level. It has been proposed that auxin could mediate the fruit/seed effect to the meristem. Cytokinins regulation and response have been also proposed as important factors controlling the meristem activity at the end of flowering. Finally, it has been also described that arrested meristems at the end of flowering resembles dormant meristem at the transcriptomic level. Previously, we have shown that the FUL-AP2 pathway controls the expression of the homeodomain leucine zipper transcription factor HOMEOBOX PROTEIN 21 (HB21), a gene involved in the establishment of bud axillary dormancy. In this work we characterize the role of HB21 in the control of the proliferative arrest associated with the end of flowering. We observed that HB21, together with HB40 and HB53, accumulate in the inflorescence apexes at the end of flowering promoting the cessation of inflorescence meristem activity. We also show that HB21 induction of in young apexes is sufficient to induce flower and meristem arrest, likely mediated by an increase in ABA responses. Thus, our work confirms the parallelism proposed between dormant meristems and the arrested meristem at the end of flowering, which appear to be regulated by common pathways, and propose ABA as a new regulator in the control of inflorescence meristem arrest.

plant biology↗