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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Plant Gene Expression Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #391346
Research Project: Developmental and Environmental Signaling Pathways Regulating Plant Architecture

Location: Plant Gene Expression Center

Title: Signaling peptides direct the art of rebirth

Author
item WANG, GUODONG - Shaanxi Normal University
item ZHANG, YONGHONG - Hubei University
item LI, CHEN - Hubei University
item WANG, XUENING - Shaanxi Normal University
item FLETCHER, JENNIFER

Submitted to: Trends in Plant Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/17/2022
Publication Date: 5/11/2022
Citation: Wang, G., Zhang, Y., Li, C., Wang, X., Fletcher, J.C. 2022. Signaling peptides direct the art of rebirth. Trends in Plant Science. 27(6):516-519. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2022.03.009.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2022.03.009

Interpretive Summary: Plants have remarkable regeneration capabilities that enable them to form new cells and tissues, and even recreate new body plans, in response to cues from their environment. For years breeders have taken advantage of this unique plant regeneration capacity to propagate hard to grow plants, particularly trees and endangered crop species, using tissue culture. However, the genes that regulate this process are poorly understood. Here we present data showing that members of multiple families of plant signaling peptide genes are expressed during various stages of the plant regeneration process. We propose that studying the roles of these small, mobile peptides in plant regeneration can give us a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that control this critical process and lead to insights that can be applied to tissue culture-based plant regeneration in the forestry, agricultural and horticultural industries.

Technical Abstract: Signaling peptide-mediated cell-cell communication is crucial for plant growth, development, and adaptive responses to environmental stimuli. One key plant adaptive response is the process of shoot regeneration, during which a few cells or tissues can reconstitute stem cell reservoirs and nascent meristems to drive de novo organogenesis. Given their prominent roles in stem cell homeostasis during postembryonic development, we propose that investigating the functions of signaling peptides may provide important insights into the molecular mechanisms of plant regeneration.