Transcriptional regulation of primary and specialized metabolism

Abstract

Michelle Tang1, Allison Gaudinier1, Baohua Li1, Lifang Zhang2, Christophe Liseron‐Monfils2, Joel Rodriguez‐Medina1, Anne‐Maarit Bagman1, Andrew Olsen2, Doreen Ware2,3, Mary Frank4, Bo Shen4, Daniel J. Kliebenstein1, Siobhan M. Brady11UC Davis, Davis, CA2Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY3USDA‐ARS, Albany, NY4DuPont Pioneer, Johnston, IARegulation of plant development requires intricate communication with both primary and specialized metabolism in order to fuel growth. While transcriptional regulation of metabolism is evident from myriad whole genome‐expression analyses, our understanding of which transcriptional regulators are responsible for these changes as well as their underlying mode of action is unclear. I will highlight our efforts on systematic mapping of transcriptional regulators of primary metabolism (nitrogen and central carbon) as well as specialized metabolism (glucosinolates). Network analyses incorporating protein‐DNA interaction data, gene expression and connectivity were used to identify critical regulators, most of which were shown to regulate metabolism via developmental‐ and stress‐conditional processes that coordinate across primary and specialized metabolism. These analyses demonstrate distinct design principles responsible for metabolism between microbes and this multicellular eukaryote.