Fructose Biphosphate Aldolase Regulates The Stem Cell Function In Arabidopsis Thaliana

Plant meristems include stem apical meristem(SAM),root apical meristem(RAM),and cambium meristem.Stem cells have the ability of self-replication and multi-directional differentiation in meristems,and provide the basis of development.The stem cells in SAM,RAM and cambium are mainly regulated by WUS,WOX5,and WOX4,which are WUSCHEL-RELATED HOMEOBOX(WOX)family members.Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase(FBA)is an important enzyme in the glycolytic pathway,which also plays a central role in the gluconeogenesis and Calvin cycle.Studies have shown that FBA is not only involved in metabolic processes,but also acts as a transcription factor.We showed that AtFBA6 is universally expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana,expecially in the SAM,vascular bundles and RAM,and can be upregulated under sugar treatment in dark.Protein interaction experiments proved that AtFBA6 can interact with WUS,WOX4,and WOX5.Together with studies on promoter analysis,AtFB A6 can promote the expression of WUS and WOX5 by being recruited into the complex with WUS and WOX5 respectively.Compared with WT,atfba6 mutant has defects including irregular leaf development,small stems.The expression of WUS,WOX4 and WOX5 in atfba6 is decreased.Overexpression of AtFBA6 can upregulate the expressions of WUS and WOX5.Taken together,AtFBA6 positively regulates the expression of WUS,WOX4 and WOX5,and stem cell function.Moreover,we have also found that the phenotype of atfba6 mutants cannot be replenished even under sucrose treatment.Therefore,our results shed light on the mechanisms that plays an important role sugar signaling in the regulation of plant stem cell function.