Behind phyllotaxis, within the meristem: a REM-ARF complex shapes inflorescence in Arabidopsis thaliana

Abstract

Inflorescence architecture is established during the early stages of reproductive development and depends on the activity and identity of meristems. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the floral meristems (FMs), which will develop into flowers, arise with precise spatiotemporal regulation from the inflorescence meristem (IM). The outcome of this process is a geometrically organized structure characterized by a reiterated pattern called phyllotaxis, in which successive organs arise at specific divergence angles of 137.5°. Here we show that REM34 and REM35 transcription factors control phyllotactic patterning through cooperative interaction with ARF7 and ARF19, influencing the cell cycle rate and thus the IM dimension. Our proposed model suggests that ARF7 and ARF19, whose activity is triggered by auxin accumulation, interact with REM34 and REM35 to regulate two auxin-induced genes, LBD18 and PUCHI, whose mutants phenocopy the permutated phyllotactic pattern of rem34 rem35 and arf7 arf19. This complex also restricts cell cycling activity to specific areas of the meristem, indirectly determining its dimension and ultimately establishing FM positioning and phyllotaxis. Reiterative patterns are found in morphogenetic processes of complex organisms, and phyllotaxis has been employed to understand the mechanisms behind this regularity. Our research broadens the knowledge on this mechanism which is also strictly correlated with yield.