Zhi Wei Norman Teo
Email Address
dbsntzw@nus.edu.sg
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Publication Dissecting the Function of MADS-Box Transcription Factors in Orchid Reproductive Development(Frontiers Media S.A., 2019) Teo, Z.W.N.; Zhou, W.; Shen, L.; BIOLOGICAL SCIENCESThe orchid family (Orchidaceae) represents the second largest angiosperm family, having over 900 genera and 27,000 species in almost all over the world. Orchids have evolved a myriad of intriguing ways in order to survive extreme weather conditions, acquire nutrients, and attract pollinators for reproduction. The family of MADS-box transcriptional factors have been shown to be involved in the control of many developmental processes and responses to environmental stresses in eukaryotes. Several findings in different orchid species have elucidated that MADS-box genes play critical roles in the orchid growth and development. An in-depth understanding of their ecological adaptation will help to generate more interest among breeders and produce novel varieties for the floriculture industry. In this review, we summarize recent findings of MADS-box transcription factors in regulating various growth and developmental processes in orchids, in particular, the floral transition and floral patterning. We further discuss the prospects for the future directions in light of new genome resources and gene editing technologies that could be applied in orchid research and breeding. © Copyright © 2019 Teo, Zhou and Shen.Publication FTIP-Dependent STM Trafficking Regulates Shoot Meristem Development in Arabidopsis(Elsevier B.V., 2018) Liu, L.; Li, C.; Song, S.; Teo, Z.W.N.; Shen, L.; Wang, Y.; Jackson, D.; Yu, H.; BIOLOGICAL SCIENCESOrganogenesis in higher plants occurs in the shoot meristem, which contains pluripotent stem cells. Here, we show that two multiple C2 domain and transmembrane region proteins, FT INTERACTING PROTEIN 3 (FTIP3) and FTIP4, play an essential role in mediating proliferation and differentiation of shoot stem cells in Arabidopsis. FTIP3/4 prevent intracellular trafficking of a key regulator, SHOOTMERISTEMLESS (STM), to the plasma membrane in cells in the peripheral shoot meristem region. This facilitates STM recycling to the nucleus to maintain stem cells. Without FTIP3/4, STM localizes substantially to the plasma membrane, which promotes intercellular trafficking but compromises nuclear localization of STM. This accelerates stem cell differentiation, causing early termination of shoot apices and resulting in dwarf and bushy phenotypes. Our findings reveal a molecular framework that determines the fate of shoot stem cells and the resulting aboveground plant body. Liu et al. report that FTIP3 and FTIP4 control subcellular localization and intercellular trafficking of another key meristem regulator in the shoot apex. This determines the appropriate balance between the maintenance of shoot stem cells and their differentiation into other aboveground plant parts. © 2018 The Author(s)Publication Shaping the landscape of N6-methyladenosine RNA methylation in Arabidopsis(Oxford University Press, 2023-01-11) Chui Eng Wong; Songyao Zhang; Tao Xu; Yu Zhang; Zhi Wei Norman Teo; An Yan; Lisha Shen; Hao Yu; BIOLOGICAL SCIENCESN6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification on messenger RNAs (mRNAs) is deposited by evolutionarily conserved methyltransferases (writers). How individual m6A writers sculpt the overall landscape of the m6A methylome and the resulting biological impact in multicellular organisms remains unknown. Here, we systematically surveyed the quantitative m6A methylomes at single-nucleotide resolution and their corresponding transcriptomes in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) bearing respective impaired m6A writers. The m6A sites associated with the five Arabidopsis writers were located mostly within 3′ untranslated regions with peaks at around 100 bp downstream of stop codons. m6A predominantly promoted the usage of distal poly(A) sites but had little effect on RNA splicing. Notably, impaired m6A writers resulted in hypomethylation and downregulation of transcripts encoding ribosomal proteins, indicating a possible correlation between m6A and protein translation. Besides the common effects on mRNA metabolism and biological functions uniquely exerted by different Arabidopsis m6A writers compared with their counterparts in human cell lines, our analyses also revealed the functional specificity of individual Arabidopsis m6A writers in plant development and response to stresses. Our findings thus reveal insights into the biological roles of various Arabidopsis m6A writers and their cognate counterparts in other multicellular m6A methyltransferase complexes.Publication The MCTP-SNARE Complex Regulates Florigen Transport in Arabidopsis(American Society of Plant Biologists, 2019-10-01) Liu, Lu; LI CHUNYING; NORMAN TEO ZHI WEI; Zhang, Bin; YU HAO; Prof Yu Hao; BIOLOGICAL SCIENCESMultiple flowering pathways in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) converge on the transcriptional regulation of FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT), encoding a mobile floral stimulus that moves from leaves to the shoot apex. Despite our progress in understanding FT movement, the mechanisms underlying its transport along the endoplasmic reticulum-plasmalemma pathway in phloem companion cells remain largely unclear. Here, we show that the plasma membrane-resident syntaxin-like glutamine-soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor protein attachment protein receptor (Q-SNARE), SYNTAXIN OF PLANTS121 (SYP121), interacts with QUIRKY (QKY), a member of the family of multiple C2 domain and transmembrane region proteins (MCTPs), to mediate FT transport in Arabidopsis. QKY and SYP121 coordinately regulate FT movement to the plasmalemma through the endosomal trafficking pathway and are required for FT export from companion cells to sieve elements, thus affecting FT transport through the phloem to the shoot apical meristem. These findings suggest that MCTPSNARE complex-mediated endosomal trafficking is essential for the export of florigen from phloem companion cells to sieve elements to induce flowering.