In multicellular organisms, communication between cells is vital for their fate determination. In plants, the quiescent center (QC) signals to adjacent stem cells to maintain them undifferentiated. However, how surrounding stem cells instruct the QC remains poorly understood. Here, we show that in the Arabidopsis root, microRNA160 (miR160) moves from stele stem cells (SSCs) to the QC, where it degrades the mRNAs of two auxin response factors, ARF10 and ARF17. This degradation relieves BRAVO from direct transcriptional repression, maintaining QC quiescence. We further identify that blocking miR160 movement due to DNA damage-induced SSC death and restricted symplastic transport reduces BRAVO and WOX5 expression, leading to QC division to replenish damaged stem cells during root regeneration. Together, our results demonstrate that a transcriptional axis initiated by mobile miR160 regulates the QC and stem cell behavior, advancing our understanding of the communication between stem cells and their surrounding cellular environment.

中文翻译：

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移动 miR160 触发的转录轴控制拟南芥中根干细胞生态位的维持和再生


在多细胞生物中，细胞之间的通讯对于它们的命运决定至关重要。在植物中，静止中心 （QC） 向相邻的干细胞发出信号，以维持它们未分化。然而，周围干细胞如何指导 QC 仍然知之甚少。在这里，我们表明在拟南芥根中，microRNA160 （miR160） 从柱状干细胞 （SSC） 移动到 QC，在那里它降解两种生长素反应因子 ARF10 和 ARF17 的 mRNA。这种降解使 BRAVO 摆脱了直接的转录抑制，维持了 QC 静止。我们进一步发现，由于 DNA 损伤诱导的 SSC 死亡和限制共生体运输而阻断 miR160 运动会降低 BRAVO 和 WOX5 的表达，导致 QC 分裂以在根再生过程中补充受损的干细胞。总之，我们的结果表明，由移动 miR160 启动的转录轴调节 QC 和干细胞行为，促进了我们对干细胞与其周围细胞环境之间通讯的理解。