Ethylene response factors as candidates for transcriptional regulation of primary cell wall biosynthesis in celery collenchyma
Natalya Syrchina (Russia)1; Natalia Mokshina (Russia)1;
1 - Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, FRC Kazan Scientific Center of RAS, Lobachevsky Str., 2/31, Kazan, 420111, Russia;
Keywords: primary cell wall; transcription factors; celery collenchyma;
Abstract Topics: Theme 7: Cell Wall Formation and Function in Plant Development
Type of Presentation: Poster

Abstract text:

Despite the obligatory presence of the primary cell wall (PCW) in plant cells, transcription factors regulating its biosynthesis remain largely unknown. Although several IIId/e subgroup ethylene response factors (ERFs) (ERF034-ERF041) have been proposed as potential regulators of PCW-related genes in Arabidopsis thaliana, tomato and cotton (Sakamoto et al., 2018; Gao et al., 2023; Pei et al., 2024), ERFs from other subgroups may also participate, and TFs from other families likely remain to be discovered.

Using celery (Apium graveolens) collenchyma – a tissue with thickened PCWs implying enhanced biosynthetic activity – we identified ERF candidates as potential regulators of PCW formation through phylogeny, transcriptomics, coexpression, and qPCR validation. Transcriptome analysis of different petiole tissues revealed AgrERFs specifically upregulated in developing collenchyma. Coexpression networks linked these AgrERFs to genes encoding PCW-related cellulose synthases (AgrCESA1, 3, 6) and other wall-modifying proteins. qPCR confirmed their elevated expression in young petioles containing actively developing collenchyma. As a result, AgrERF001b (Va), AgrERF002b (Vb), AgrERF041b (IIIe), and AgrERF079 (VIIIa) were identified as candidate regulators of collenchyma PCW formation. Our findings expand the range of ERF subgroups implicated in PCW regulation and establish celery collenchyma as a tractable model for dissecting PCW biosynthesis.

With partial financial support: RSF #26-16-00294.