The protein–protein interaction landscape of transcription factors during gynoecium development in Arabidopsis

13 de septiembre de 2022

Les invitamos a leer el artículo: "The protein-protein interaction landscape of transcription factors during gynoecium development in Arabidopsis", trabajo liderado por el Dr. Stefan de Folter, Investigador de la UGA-Langebio, además del Dr. Humberto Herrera Ubaldo, egresado del doctorado de Biotecnología de Plantas Cinvestav , junto con otros miembros de la UGA-Langebio y de la Unidad Irapuato Cinvestav Irapuato.

Autores: Humberto Herrera-Ubaldo^1,4, Sergio E. Campos^1,5, Pablo López-Gómez¹, Valentín Luna-García¹, Víctor M. Zúñiga-Mayo^1,6, Gerardo E. Armas-Caballero¹, Karla L. González-Aguilera¹, Alexander De Luna¹, Nayelli Marsch-Martínez², Carlos Espinosa-Soto³ and Stefan de Folter^1,7.

1. Unidad de Genómica Avanzada (UGA-LANGEBIO), Centro de Investigacón y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV-IPN), Irapuato, Guanajuato 36824, México.
2. Departamento de Biotecnología y Bioquímica, Unidad Irapuato, CINVESTAV-IPN, Irapuato, Guanajuato 36824, México.
3. Instituto de Física, Universidad de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, SLP 78290, México
4. Present address: Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
5. Present address: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
6. Present address: CONACYT, Instituto de Fitosanidad, Colegio de Postgraduados, Campus Montecillo, Texcoco, México
7. Twitter: @defolter_lab

Felicitamos al estudiantado y profesorado que contribuyeron en esta investigación por su arduo trabajo.

Abstract: Flowers are composed of organs whose identity is defined by the combinatorial activity of transcription factors (TFs). The interactions between MADS-box TFs and protein complex formation have been schematized in the floral quartet model of flower development. The gynoecium is the flower’s female reproductive part, crucial for fruit and seed production and, hence, for reproductive success. After the establishment of carpel identity, many tissues arise to form a mature gynoecium. TFs have been described as regulators of gynoecium development, and some interactions and complexes have been identified. However, broad knowledge about the interactions among these TFs and their participation during development remains scarce. In this study, we used a systems biology approach to understand the formation of a complex reproductive unit—as the gynoecium—by mapping binary interactions between well-characterized TFs. We analyzed almost 4500 combinations and detected more than 250 protein–protein interactions (PPIs), resulting in a process-specific interaction map. Topological analyses suggest hidden functions and novel roles for many TFs. In addition, we observed a close relationship between TFs involved in auxin and cytokinin-signaling pathways and other TFs. Furthermore, we analyzed the network by combining PPI data, expression, and genetic data, which helped us to dissect it into several dynamic spatio-temporal subnetworks related to gynoecium development processes. Finally, we generated an extended PPI network that predicts new players in gynoecium development. Taken together, all these results serve as a valuable resource for the plant community.

Keywords: protein–protein interactions, interactome, networks, transcription factors, gynoecium development.