Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A (eIF5A) genes are a small gene family highly conserved in eukaryotes, which regulate multiple growth and developmental processes.

 

Recent studies from Dr. Jianru Zuo’s group revealed that eIF5A-2 regulates root vascular development by modulating cytokinin signaling in Arabidopsis. eIF5A-2 genetically interacts with cytokinin receptor CYTOKININ RESPONSE1 (CRE1) and downstream ARABIDOPSIS PHOSPHOTRANSFER PROTEIN (AHP) genes to regulate protoxylem differentiation. The eIF5A-2 protein forms a protein complex with CRE1 and AHP1 to repress the expression of AHP6, a negative regulator of cytokinin signaling, thereby regulating root protoxylem specification.

 

This study was online published in The Plant Cell (DOI:​10.​1105/​tpc.​113.​116236). Dr. Bo Ren and Dr. Qingguo Chen are co-first authors of the paper. This study was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics.

 

AUTHOR CONTACT:

Jianru Zuo, Ph.D.

Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Beijing, China.

E-mail: jrzuo@genetics.ac.cn