Brassinosteroid gene regulatory networks at cellular resolution in the <i>Arabidopsis</i> root.

Abstract

Brassinosteroids are plant steroid hormones that regulate diverse processes, such as cell division and cell elongation, through gene regulatory networks that vary in space and time. By using time series single-cell RNA sequencing to profile brassinosteroid-responsive gene expression specific to different cell types and developmental stages of the <i>Arabidopsis</i> root, we identified the elongating cortex as a site where brassinosteroids trigger a shift from proliferation to elongation associated with increased expression of cell wall-related genes. Our analysis revealed <i>HOMEOBOX FROM ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA 7</i> (<i>HAT7</i>) and <i>GT-2-LIKE 1</i> (<i>GTL1</i>) as brassinosteroid-responsive transcription factors that regulate cortex cell elongation. These results establish the cortex as a site of brassinosteroid-mediated growth and unveil a brassinosteroid signaling network regulating the transition from proliferation to elongation, which illuminates aspects of spatiotemporal hormone responses.