"All Together Now: Receptor Kinase Function in Plant Stem Cell Regulation"

Stem cell populations in plants are controlled by diverse cell-to-cell signaling networks that govern their establishment, size, specific identity and differentiation status. Receptor kinase signaling pathways and their peptide ligands play a prominent role in stem cell regulation in diverse niches. CLAVATA3, a founding member of the CLE family of secreted peptides controls stem cell maintenance via a suite of receptor kinases including members of the CLAVATA1 clade, RPK2, and the co-receptor pair of CLAVATA2/CORYNE. How the distinct receptors quantitatively function in stem cell regulation in response to CLAVATA3 is unclear. Here I will detail recent work in my lab aimed at understanding the functional relationships between the different CLAVATA3 receptors, and some of the new technologies available to dissect genetic redundancy in large gene families.