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In plants, GATA transcription factors (TFs) have been reported to play vital roles in to a wide range of biological processes. To date, there is still no report about the involvement and functions of woody plant GATA TFs in wood formation. In this study, we described the functional characterization of a Populus trichocarpa GATA TF, PtrGATA12, which encodes a nuclear-localized transcriptional activator predominantly expressing in developing xylem tissues. Overexpression of PtrGATA12 not only inhibited growths of most phenotypic traits and biomass accumulation, but also altered the expressions of some master TFs and pathway genes involved in secondary cell wall (SCW) and programmed cell death, leading to alternated SCW components and breaking forces of stems of transgenic lines. The significant changes occurred in the contents of hemicellulose and lignin and SCW thicknesses of fiber and vessel that increased by 13.5 and 10.8%, and 20.83 and 11.83%, respectively. Furthermore, PtrGATA12 bound directly to the promoters of a battery of TFs and pathway genes and activated them; the binding sites include two cis-acting elements that were specifically enriched in their promoter regions. Taken together, our results suggest PtrGATA12, as a higher hierarchical TF on the top of PtrWND6A, PtrWND6B, PtrMYB152, and PtrMYB21, exert a coordinated regulation of SCW components biosynthesis pathways through directly and indirectly controlling master TFs, middle-level TFs, and further downstream pathway genes of the currently known hierarchical transcription network that governs SCW formation.

In plants, GATA transcription factors (TFs) have been reported to play vital roles in to a wide range of biological processes. To date, there is still no report about the involvement and functions of woody plant GATA TFs in wood formation. In this study, we described the functional characterization of a Populus trichocarpa GATA TF, PtrGATA12 , which encodes a nuclear-localized transcriptional activator predominantly expressing in developing xylem tissues. Overexpression of PtrGATA12 not only inhibited growths of most phenotypic traits and biomass accumulation, but also altered the expressions of some master TFs and pathway genes involved in secondary cell wall (SCW) and programmed cell death, leading to alternated SCW components and breaking forces of stems of transgenic lines. The significant changes occurred in the contents of hemicellulose and lignin and SCW thicknesses of fiber and vessel that increased by 13.5 and 10.8%, and 20.83 and 11.83%, respectively. Furthermore, PtrGATA12 bound directly to the promoters of a battery of TFs and pathway genes and activated them; the binding sites include two cis -acting elements that were specifically enriched in their promoter regions. Taken together, our results suggest PtrGATA12 , as a higher hierarchical TF on the top of PtrWND6A , PtrWND6B , PtrMYB152 , and PtrMYB21 , exert a coordinated regulation of SCW components biosynthesis pathways through directly and indirectly controlling master TFs, middle-level TFs , and further downstream pathway genes of the currently known hierarchical transcription network that governs SCW formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A transcription factor was identified, PtrHAT22 , from Populus trichocarpa , which was predominantly expressed in developing xylem, and evidenced to acts as a nuclear-localized transcription repressor. • We for the first time identified the biological function of PtrHAT22 involved in SCW formation. As far as we known that similar effects of PtrHAT22 on SCW have not been found in other known wood-associated TFs, such as NAC and MYB TFs. • The PtrHAT22 , as a first hierarchy TF like PtrWNDs , is an upstream regulon of master switch PtrMYB20 and coordinately regulates SCW component biosynthesis through directly or indirectly controlling lower hierarchy TFs and structural genes of SCW formation network. Homeodomain-leucine zipper (HD-Zip) II transcription factors (TFs) have been reported to play vital roles in diverse biological processes of plants. However, it remains unclear whether HD-Zip II TFs regulate secondary cell wall (SCW) in woody plants. In this study, we performed the functional characterization of a Populus trichocarpa HD-Zip II TF , PtrHAT22 , which encodes a nuclear localized transcription repressor predominantly expressing in secondary developing tissues. Overexpression of PtrHAT22 showed arrested growths, including reduced heights and diameters above the ground, small leaves, and decreased biomass. Meanwhile, the contents of lignin, cellulose, and thickness of SCW significantly decreased, whilst the content of hemicellulose obviously increased in PtrHAT22 transgenic poplar. The expressions of some wood-associated TFs and structural genes significantly changed accordingly with the alternations of SCW characteristics in PtrHAT22 transgenic poplar. Furthermore, PtrHAT22 directly repressed the promoter activities of PtrMYB20 , PtrMYB28 , and PtrCOMT2 , and bind two cis -acting elements that were specifically enriched in their promoter regions. Taken together, our results suggested that PtrHAT22 , as a higher hierarchy TF like PtrWNDs, exerted coordination regulation of poplar SCW component biosynthesis through directly and indirectly regulating structural genes and different hierarchy TFs of SCW formation network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]