Award details

Genetic regulation of leaf development

Reference	BB/D521730/1
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Dr Mary Byrne
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	John Innes Centre
Department	Crop Genetics
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	193,198
Status	Completed
Type	Research Grant
Start date	02/05/2006
End date	01/05/2009
Duration	36 months

Abstract

Shoots are derived from a group of cells in the shoot apical meristem (SAM) at the apex of the plant. Undifferentiated stem cells in the SAM divide and give rise to peripheral derivatives from which founder cells for lateral organs are recruited. Development of lateral organs proceeds along three planes: proximodistal, dorsoventral and mediolateral. Mutations in the myb domain transcription factor asymmetric leaves1 result in alterations in leaf patterning. I have isolated modifiers of AS1 that further alter leaf patterning. Wild type Arabidopsis leaves are elongate and spatulate in shape. In as1 single mutants leaves are rounded and have occasional lobes. pgy single mutants do not significantly alter the wild type leaf form. However, as1 pgy double mutants develop ectopic leaf lamina on the adaxial (upper) surface of the leaf. From a collection of independent as1 pgy mutants two PGY genes, PGY180 and PGY1019, have been isolated. The research in this proposal aims to define the role of PGY180 and family members in leaf development, how PGY180 might interact genetically with other genes required for leaf development and the potential function of PGY180 in translation.

Summary

Shoots are derived from a group of cells at the apex of the plant. These cells are organised into a defined structure called the shoot apical meristem. Cells in the centre of the meristem are undifferentiated and divide to give rise to daughter cells in the peripheral region of the meristem. Some of these peripheral region cells undergo many divisions and differentiate in the process of forming a leaf. The flattened simple leaf lamina of Arabidopsis and many other plants result from development along three axes. These are from tip-to-base, top-to-bottom and middle-to-edge. I am interested in genes that control these early events in leaf development. Mutations in the gene Asymmetric Leaves1 (AS1) in Arabidopsis result in changes in leaf development. as1 leaves are lobed compared with the simple leaf of wild type. Another set of genes further alters the as1 mutant leaf. These modifiers of as1 are called piggyback (PGY) genes. Mutations in PGY genes by themselves do not significantly affect leaf development. However, plants carrying both pgy and as1 mutations form leaf outgrowths on the top surface of the main plant leaf. The development of these extra leaves is similar to that of normal leaves. Therefore studying PGY genes will help us understand how normal leaves develop. Two PGY genes have been cloned and are related to proteins required for protein synthesis in other organisms such as yeast. Both PGY genes are also part of a small gene family in Arabidopsis. The research we are carrying out aims to determine how PGY genes affect leaf development and how PGY genes interact with other genes required for leaf development. The research also aims to determine the molecular function of PGY genes and whether PGY genes are required for protein synthesis.

Committee	Closed Committee - Genes & Developmental Biology (GDB)
Research Topics	Plant Science
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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