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CELL BIOLOGY AND SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION

Induction of Differentiation in the Shoot Apical Meristem by Transient Overexpression of a Retinoblastoma-Related Protein¹

Institute of Plant Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich, CH–8092 Zurich, Switzerland (J.W., S.P., W.G., A.J.F.); Department of Biology-Plant Biology, University of Fribourg, CH–1700 Fribourg, Switzerland (M.S.); and Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom (A.J.F.)

The shoot apical meristem contains cells that undergo continual growth and division to generate the building blocks for the aerial portion of the plant. As cells leave the meristem, they undergo differentiation to form specific cell types. Most notably, heterotrophic cells of the meristem rapidly gain autotrophic capability by synthesis and assembly of components of the chloroplast. At the same time, cells undergo enlargement via vacuolation. Despite significant advances in the characterization of transcriptional networks involved in meristem maintenance and leaf determination, our understanding of the actual mechanism of meristem cell differentiation remains very limited. Using a microinduction technique, we show that local, transient overexpression of a retinoblastoma-related (RBR) protein in the shoot apical meristem is sufficient to trigger cells in the meristem to undergo the initial stages of differentiation. Taken together with recent data showing that RBR protein plays a key role in restricting stem cell differentiation in the root apical meristem, our data contribute to an emerging picture of RBR proteins as a central part of the mechanism controlling meristem cell differentiation.

² Present address: Department of Plant Biology, University of Zürich, Zollikerstrasse 107, CH–8008 Zurich, Switzerland.

The author responsible for distribution of materials integral to the findings presented in this article in accordance with the policy described in the Instructions for Authors (www.plantphysiol.org) is: Andrew J. Fleming (a.fleming{at}sheffield.ac.uk).

Article, publication date, and citation information can be found at www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/doi/10.1104/pp.106.083022.

^* Corresponding author; e-mail a.fleming{at}sheffield.ac.uk; fax 44–114–2220002.

Received May 8, 2006; returned for revision June 22, 2006; accepted June 25, 2006.

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