Biology subjects

Kerstens, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Kerstens, M..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

A PLETHORA transcription factor shapes cucumber shoot architecture

O_LIPLETHORA transcription factors (PLTs) are master regulators of plant development. Loss of shoot meristematic PLTs leads to reduced phyllotactic regularity and robustness in Arabidopsis and increased inflorescence branching in tomato. Whether these factors have similar functions in other species is not known. C_LIO_LITo address this knowledge gap, we integrated phylogenetic, transcriptomic, and genome-wide in vitro binding strategies with quantitative shoot architecture phenotyping of a panel of cucumber TILLING mutants of each CsPLT homolog. C_LIO_LIWe determined that CsPLT3/7 and CsPLT are expressed in complementary domains in the cucumber shoot apex. DAP-seq data indicated that both transcription factors recognised an ANT-like consensus motif and bound to SAM organising genes. We identified strong phenotypic defects in multiple Csplt3/7 mutants. In mature seeds, Csplt3/7 mutants formed a flat apex instead of a shoot apical meristem, from which secondary meristems emerged during subsequent seedling development. Mature Csplt3/7 shoots exhibited defects in internode length regularity, stem architecture, flower morphology, and axillary organ initiation. Moreover, phyllotactic patterns were slightly shifted from a spiral towards a distichous orientation. C_LIO_LIWe present one of the first pieces of evidence that the PLT3/7 clade fulfils both conserved and diversified roles in shoot development across taxonomic family boundaries. C_LI

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Redundant PLETHORA activity promotes development of early embryonic cell lineages in Arabidopsis

The BABY BOOM/PLETHORA4 (BBM/PLT4) transcription factor has received much attention due to its ability to induce somatic and zygotic embryogenesis, two processes of pivotal importance in plant breeding. Loss of additional AINTEGUMENTA-LIKE/PLETHORA (AIL/PLT) genes, encoding members of the APETALA2 transcription factor family, causes embryo arrest and abortion, but whether BBM/PLT4 provides specific information for embryo development has remained unknown. Here, we reveal that AIL/PLT members are expressed in partially overlapping domains from their first appearance in the apical cell daughter of the zygote. Redundant early embryonic activity of BABY BOOM/PLT4 and PLT2 triggers development of the apical cell lineage and is required to initiate embryonic primordia. Furthermore, promoter swap experiments show that PLT1 and PLT3 expression in the expression domains of PLT2 and BABY BOOM/PLT4 is sufficient to rescue plt2 bbm double mutants. Our data indicate that generic AIL/PLT factors, involved in maintenance of stem cells, promotion of cell division and suppression of cell differentiation, provide the necessary information to initiate embryogenesis in Arabidopsis.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Homozygosity at its Limit: Inbreeding Depression in Wild Arabidopsis arenosa Populations

New combinations of genetic material brought together through hybridization can lead to unfit offspring as a result of outbreeding or inbreeding depression. In selfing plants such as Arabidopsis thaliana, outbreeding depression is typically the result of pairwise deleterious epistatic interactions between two alleles that can geographically co-occur. What remains elusive is how often alleles resulting in genetic incompatibilities co-occur in natural populations of outcrossing plant species. To address this question, we screened over two thousand five hundred wild Arabidopsis arenosa hybrid plants in search for potential genetic mismatches. We show that although abnormal deleterious phenotypes are common, the transcriptional profiles of these abnormal A. arenosa plants differ substantially from those seen in incompatible A. thaliana hybrids. The abnormal hybrid phenotypes in A. arenosa had different underlying genetic architectures, yet a repeated theme was increased homozygosity, indicating that inbreeding rather than outbreeding depression gives rise to some of the deleterious phenotypes segregating in wild A. arenosa populations.

plant biology↗