Coordination of robust single cell rhythms in the Arabidopsis circadian clock via spatial waves of gene expression



Gould, Peter D ORCID: 0000-0002-0709-1190, Domijian, Morela, Greenwood, Mark, Tokuda, Isao T, Rees, Hannah, Kozma-Bognar, Laszlo, Hall, Anthony JW and Locke, James CW
(2018) Coordination of robust single cell rhythms in the Arabidopsis circadian clock via spatial waves of gene expression. ELIFE, 7. e31700-.

Access the full-text of this item by clicking on the Open Access link.

Abstract

The Arabidopsis circadian clock orchestrates gene regulation across the day/night cycle. Although a multiple feedback loop circuit has been shown to generate the 24-hr rhythm, it remains unclear how robust the clock is in individual cells, or how clock timing is coordinated across the plant. Here we examine clock activity at the single cell level across Arabidopsis seedlings over several days under constant environmental conditions. Our data reveal robust single cell oscillations, albeit desynchronised. In particular, we observe two waves of clock activity; one going down, and one up the root. We also find evidence of cell-to-cell coupling of the clock, especially in the root tip. A simple model shows that cell-to-cell coupling and our measured period differences between cells can generate the observed waves. Our results reveal the spatial structure of the plant clock and suggest that unlike the centralised mammalian clock, the Arabidopsis clock has multiple coordination points.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: computational and systems biology, plant biology, single cell, time-lapse microscopy, circadian clock, cell-to-cell coupling
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 09 May 2018 09:10
Last Modified: 19 Jan 2023 06:34
DOI: 10.7554/eLife.31700
Open Access URL: https://elifesciences.org/articles/31700
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3021104