Collaborative Research: Assigning Functions to the Arabidopsis LBD-family (CRAFTAL)
Final Report Abstract
Plants produce new organs, such as leaves or flower parts, durig their whole life span. They are able to do this due to the activity of stem cell systems, called meristems, that allow the production of new cells, which specialize only later during development. New organs are separated from the remainder of the meristem by distinct cell types that create a visible, mrophological boundary. Our research on a family of related genes in Arabidopsis identified a gene called "Jagged Lateral Organs", or JLO, that is active in the boundaries between meristems and organ primordia, and during embryogenesis. We found that JLO regulates the activity of genes from the KNOX gene family, which is known to foster meristem growth. In addition, JLO reduces the transport ofthe plant hormone auxin, which is known to control organ initiation and outgrowth, by repressing the production of the auxin carrier protein PINI. Our results are helping us to understand how plants coordinate the development and differentiation of meristem cells that play a vital role in organ production. Genes related to JLO have been identified not only in the model plant Arabidopsis, but also in agricultural important species, and it is expected that the knowledge gained on organ initiation and growth in Arabidopsis will also help to better understand these processes in crop plant species.
Publications
- (2007). Arabidopsis JAGGED LATERAL ORGANS is Expressed in Boundaries and Coordinates KNOX and PIN Activity. Plant Cell 19, 1795-1808
Borghi, L., Bureau, M., and Simon, R.
- (2007). JLO regulates embryo patterning and organ initiation by controlling auxin transport. Plant Signal Behavior 3,1-3
Bureau, M., and Simon, R.
