During development, cells not only adopt specialized identities but also maintain those identities. Endoreduplication is thought to maintain cell identity. High concentrations of ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA MERISTEM LAYER1 (ATML1) specify giant cell identity and induce endoreduplication in sepals. How different concentrations of ATML1 can specify different identities remains unclear. Here, we show that high concentrations of ATML1 induce the biosynthesis of both long-chain and very long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs/VLCFAs), and these fatty acids are required for the maintenance of giant cell identity. Inhibition of VLCFA biosynthesis causes endoreduplicated giant cells to resume division and lose their identity, indicating that endoreduplication is not sufficient to maintain cell identity. Structural predictions suggest that LCFA-containing lipids bind to the START domain 2 of ATML1, causing ATML1 dimerization and its auto-activation. Our data and modeling imply that ATML1 induces biosynthesis of its own lipid ligands in a positive feedback loop, shedding light on the intricate network dynamics that specify and maintain giant cell identity.Teaser: Endoreduplicated cells in Arabidopsis thaliana sepals divide and de-differentiate in the absence of VLCFA biosynthesis.### Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.

In eukaryotes, protein and lipid secretory trafficking is orchestrated by the Golgi apparatus where proteins are modified and sorted in a cascade of functionally distinct compartments. The composition of these compartments is maintained primarily by vesicular traffic facilitated by Arf and Rab GTPases. These GTPases are regulated by a GTP/GDP cycle facilitated by Guanine Nucleotide Exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase Activating Proteins (GAPs) to induce GDP/GTP exchange and GTP hydrolysis respectively. Vesicular trafficking to and from the final compartment, the trans‐Golgi network, maintains membrane flux throughout the cell with cargo recycling and secretory pathways. Arf1 and its close paralogs are responsible for virtually all vesicle biogenesis events at the Golgi complex. In budding yeast, Arf1 is activated at the trans‐Golgi network by the Arf GEF Sec7, the homolog of the human ARFGEF/BIG proteins. Previous work has determined that Sec7 is regulated by autoinhibition, positive feedback, and GTPase crosstalk, yet the mechanistic basis for these regulatory features is unknown. To understand how Sec7 is regulated, I have determined the structure of the flexible Sec7 dimer by cryoEM at 4.9A resolution. Focused refinements on individual monomer subunits improved resolution to 3.8A, sufficient for molecular model building. This structure reveals the mechanism for Sec7 autoinhibition: in the cytosol, the GEF domain interacts with the HDS domains in a manner that prevents binding to the Arf1 substrate. We also observe that the dimerization region imparts a twist between the two monomers, apparently preventing both catalytic subunits from interacting with the membrane surface simultaneously. Functional studies are currently underway to determine the physiological relevance of our structural findings.

In eukaryotes, vesicle formation at the Golgi complex is initiated by the conserved small GTPase Arf1. In budding yeast, Arf1 localization and activity is controlled by three separate guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) Gea1, Gea2, and Sec7. Sec7 activates Arf1 at the trans‐Golgi network, and mechanisms regulating the activity and recruitment of Sec7 to the Golgi have been well characterized. For example, Sec7 is recruited to the TGN by four small GTPases including its substrate Arf1. However, Gea1 and Gea2, which activate Arf1 at earlier Golgi compartments, do not share the same regulatory mechanisms as Sec7. While initially thought to be redundant paralogs, we have found that Gea1 and Gea2 localize to separate regions of the Golgi despite sharing common regulatory elements. As such, the purpose and mechanism for their differential localization remains unclear. I aim to understand the functional relevance for their distinct localization and will present preliminary evidence suggesting that Gea recruitment is coordinated by Golgi SNARE complexes.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.