WIND1: a key molecular switch for plant cell dedifferentiation.

Cellular dedifferentiation is often observed in both plants and animals at an early step of wound-induced regeneration. Some plant species develop callus, a mass of unorganised cells, after wounding and this response is thought to involve cell dedifferentiation since callus cells are usually ready to exert totipotency, an ability to regenerate any new organ including somatic embryos. It is well established that a balance of the two plant hormones, auxin and cytokinin, is central in controlling plant cell dedifferentiation and subsequent redifferentiation but molecular mechanisms underlying these processes are still unclear. In a recent study we reported that an AP2/ERF transcription factor WOUND INDUCED DEDIFFERENTIATION 1 (WIND1) and its close homologs, WIND2–4, are induced by wounding and that they promote cell dedifferentiation in Arabidopsis. Our data show that WIND proteins are required to activate the local cytokinin response at the wound site.

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