A Transcriptional Regulatory Network Controls Vascular Development in plants

20^th January 2022, 16:00
Peter Etchells
Durham University

Abstract

Transcription factor proteins bind to DNA to control the activity of genes. Transcriptional regulatory networks define interactions between transcription factor proteins and their target genes. These networks are required to be dynamic, fine-tuning outputs that are cell type specific, that change through developmental time, and/or in response to changes in environment. We have recently described a putative transcriptional regulatory network comprising 690 transcription factor-promoter interactions in Arabidopsis, focused on genes that act with a receptor kinase, PHLOEM INTERCALATED WITH XYLEM (PXY), which regulates cell division and influences organization in plant vascular tissue. By cross referencing network and gene expression data, we have identified novel regulators of vascular development. More recently, we have expanded our network to include further interactions, such that the network contains 1447 edges. We would like to use this information to understand how the flux of signals through networks differs between cell types.