TOPLESS mediates brassinosteroid control of shoot boundaries and root meristem development

Steroids play a role as essential hormones in plants as well as in animals. In plants, steroids termed brassinosteroids (BR) regulate plant growth and development. BR has been shown to be involved in many processes such as light response, stomata and root development, and flowering in plants. BR-regulated gene expression is controlled by the master regulator bri1-EMS-SUPRESSOR1 (BES1).  Espinosa-Ruiz et al. show regulation of organ boundary formation in shoot apical meristem and root quiescent center (QC) quiescence by co-repressors BES1 and TOPLESS. BES1 directs TOPLESS to promoters of their target genes (CUC3 and BRAVO) to suppress their expression. (Summary by Nidhi Sharma) Development 10.1242/dev.143214