The capacity to promote cell dedifferentiation is widespread among plant species. We have recently reported that an AP2/ERF transcription factor WOUND INDUCED DEDIFFERENTIATION 1 (WIND1) and its paralogues, WIND2-4, promote cell dedifferentiation in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Phylogenetic analyses suggest that AtWIND1 orthologs are found in land plants and that the shared peptide motifs between Arabidopsis paralogues are conserved in putative orthologs in dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous plants. In this study we show that AtWIND1 chemically induced rapeseed and tomato, as well as AtWIND1 constitutively expressed tobacco, promote callus formation on phytohormone-free medium. Our results suggest that the WIND1-mediated signaling cascade to promote cell dedifferentiation might be conserved in at least several species of Brassicaceae and Solanaceae.
Keywords: AP2/ERF transcription factor; WIND1; callus induction; cell dedifferentiation; tissue culture.