Transcriptome analysis of Arabidopsis plants lacking all three E2F isoforms, E2FA, E2FB, and E2FC

Plant E2F transcription factors like their animal counterparts can activate and repress the same targets mainly implicated in cell cycle progression depending on whether they form complexes with the RETINOBLASTOMA-RELATED (RBR) tumour suppressor. By using Arabidopsis mutants lacking all three E2F isoforms, we examined the relative contribution of these opposing E2F functions in physiological context during organ development. We showed that both transient and permanent quiescent cellular status became extremely flexible in the triple E2F mutant. Accordingly, target genes involved in cell cycle control and in DNA damage response were found to be deregulated.