OPEN ACCESS ARTICLE

This Article Free via Open Access: OA OA Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplemental Data OA All Versions of this Article: 18/4/879    most recent tpc.105.036798v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (3) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Inagaki, S. Articles by Morikami, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Inagaki, S. Articles by Morikami, A. Agricola Articles by Inagaki, S. Articles by Morikami, A.

Arabidopsis TEBICHI, with Helicase and DNA Polymerase Domains, Is Required for Regulated Cell Division and Differentiation in Meristems^[W],[OA]

^a Laboratory of Biochemistry, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
^b Division of Developmental Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan
^c Division of Gene Expression and Regulation, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan
^d Department of Agrobiological Resources, Faculty of Agriculture, Meijo University, Tempaku, Nagoya 468-8502, Japan

¹ To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail i042002d{at}mbox.nagoya-u.ac.jp; fax 81-52-789-4094.

In plant meristems, each cell divides and differentiates in a spatially and temporally regulated manner, and continuous organogenesis occurs using cells derived from the meristem. We report the identification of the Arabidopsis thaliana TEBICHI (TEB) gene, which is required for regulated cell division and differentiation in meristems. The teb mutants show morphological defects, such as short roots, serrated leaves, and fasciation, as well as defective patterns of cell division and differentiation in the meristem. The TEB gene encodes a homolog of Drosophila MUS308 and mammalian DNA polymerase , which prevent spontaneous or DNA damage–induced production of DNA double strand breaks. As expected from the function of animal homologs, teb mutants show constitutively activated DNA damage responses. Unlike other fasciation mutants with activated DNA damage responses, however, teb mutants do not activate transcriptionally silenced genes. teb shows an accumulation of cells expressing cyclinB1;1:GUS in meristems, suggesting that constitutively activated DNA damage responses in teb lead to a defect in G2/M cell cycle progression. Furthermore, other fasciation mutants, such as fasciata2 and tonsoku/mgoun3/brushy1, also show an accumulation of cells expressing cyclinB1;1:GUS in meristems. These results suggest that cell cycle progression at G2/M is important for the regulation of the pattern of cell division and of differentiation during plant development.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. Breuer, N. J. Stacey, C. E. West, Y. Zhao, J. Chory, H. Tsukaya, Y. Azumi, A. Maxwell, K. Roberts, and K. Sugimoto-Shirasu BIN4, a Novel Component of the Plant DNA Topoisomerase VI Complex, Is Required for Endoreduplication in Arabidopsis PLANT CELL, November 1, 2007; 19(11): 3655 - 3668. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]