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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Madison, Wisconsin » Vegetable Crops Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #351617
Title: The WUSCHEL-related homeobox1 gene of cucumber (CsWOX1) regulates reproductive organ development

Author
item NIU, HUANHUAN - Northwest Agriculture And Forestry University
item LIU, XIAOFEND - China Agricultural University
item TONG, CAN - Northwest Agriculture And Forestry University
item WANG, HU - China Agricultural University
item LI, SEN - University Of Wisconsin
item LU, LI - University Of Wisconsin
item PAN, YUPENG - University Of Wisconsin
item ZHANG, XIAOLAN - China Agricultural University
item Weng, Yiqun
item LI, ZHENG - Northwest Agricultural & Forestry University

Submitted to: Journal of Experimental Botany
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/11/2018
Publication Date: 9/11/2018
Citation: Niu, H., Liu, X., Tong, C., Li, S., Lu, L., Pan, Y., Zhang, X., Li, Z., Weng, Y., Wang, H. 2018. The WUSCHEL-related homeobox1 gene of cucumber (CsWOX1) regulates reproductive organ development. Journal of Experimental Botany. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/ery329.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/ery329

Interpretive Summary: The WUSCHEL-related homeobox1 (WOX1) transcription factor, a member of the WOX family plays an important role in organ lateral growth in plants. WOX1 mutants often exhibit restricted growth of leaves and flowers, as well as male and/or female sterility. The mechanisms by which WOX1 regulates organ lateral growth and reproductive development are largely unknown. Here we report the identification of mango fruit (mf) in cucumber (Cucumis sativus), which is required for lateral organ outgrowth and sporogenesis. Through map-based cloning, we show that mf encodes a WOX1 type transcriptional regulator (CsWOX1) and the multiple defects in leaf and flower lateral growth as well as male and female sterility in the spontaneous mf mutant was due to a 1-bp deletion in CsWOX1 resulted in a truncated protein lacking the conserved WUS-box. CsWOX1 is up-regulated in the mf mutant. Spatial-temporal expression analysis in cucumber and ectopic overexpression in Arabidopsis revealed critical roles of CsWOX1 in transcriptional regulation of leaf and petal outgrowth, as well as carpel and anther development. Comparative transcriptome profiling in both leaves and flowers of mutant and wild cucumber plants revealed key players and CsWOX1-associated networks regulating vegetative and reproductive development. Protein-protein interaction assays revealed the cucumber SPOROCYTELESS (CsSPL)/NOZZLE (CsNZZ) transcription factor as the key interacting partner of CsWOX1. A model is developed in which CsWOX1 interacts with CsSPL to modulate auxin and cytokinin homeostasis to regulate lateral growth of leaves and flowers. This interaction also regulates sporogenesis through the well conserved CsSPL-CsDYT1(DYSFUNCTIONAL TAPETUM 1)-CsAMS (ABORTED MICROSPORES)-CsMS1 (MALE STERILITY1) pathway.

Technical Abstract: The WUSCHEL-related homeobox1 (WOX1) is among the many transcription factors playing important roles in regulating vegetative growth and reproductive development in plants. WOX1 mutants often exhibit restricted lateral growth of leaves and flowers, and male/female sterility, but how WOX1 regulates organ lateral growth and reproductive development is not well understood. In this study, we report the identification of mango fruit (mf) in cucumber that is required for lateral organ outgrowth and sporogenesis. Through map-based cloning, we show that mf encodes a WOX1 type transcriptional regulator (CsWOX1) and the multiple defects in leaf and flower lateral growth as well as male and female sterility in the spontaneous mf mutant was due to a 1-bp deletion in CsWOX1 resulted in a truncated protein lacking the conserved WUS-box. CsWOX1 is up-regulated in the mf mutant. Spatial-temporal expression analysis in cucumber and ectopic overexpression in Arabidopsis revealed critical roles of CsWOX1 in transcriptional regulation of leaf and petal outgrowth, as well as carpel and anther development. Comparative transcriptome profiling in both leaves and flowers of mutant and wild cucumber plants revealed key players and CsWOX1-associated networks regulating vegetative and reproductive development. Protein-protein interaction assays revealed the cucumber CsSPL transcription factor as the key interacting partner of CsWOX1. A model is developed in which CsWOX1 interacts with CsSPL to modulate auxin and cytokinin homeostasis to regulate lateral growth of leaves and flowers. This interaction also regulates sporogenesis through the well conserved CsSPL-CsDYT1-CsAMS-CsMS1 pathway.