Control of vascular patterning through cell type-specific depletion of miRNAs (C09*)

• Subject Area: Plant Cell and Developmental Biology
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 232631280

In the root vasculature, a gradient of miRNAs controls the abundance of HD-ZIP III transcription factors, which control cell fate and spatially restrict vascular cell proliferation to specific cells. We revealed that balancing of the miR165/6 gradient with an opposing gradient of AGO10 is required for normal cell type specification and the control of cell division activity in the stele. We will unravel how AGO10-mediated depletion of miRNA provides developmental robustness and shapes the responses to the environment. In addition, we will decipher the cell type-specific decoding of miR165/6 gradient to elucidate the role of cell lineage and positional signalling for cell type specification in the vasculature.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1101: Molecular Encoding of Specificity in Plant Processes
• Applicant Institution: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen
• Project Head: Professor Dr. Sebastian Wolf