Genetic and Molecular Analysis of the Maize kn1 Gene

9417916 Hake实验表明含有同源框的基因kn1是影响玉米和拟南芥中分生组织发育的基因的合理候选者。为了理解kn1的功能，我们将采取多种方法。将获得额外的功能丧失突变体。将分析转座元件Ds从玉米中Ds诱导的显性等位基因的切除，并获得拟南芥同源物的反义表型。将采用两种方法分离潜在的下游靶基因。拟南芥过表达表型将被用来分离抑制子，并找到增强子陷阱线，其表达模式的变化与异位表达kn1或其同源物。同时，将使用由玉米结叶制成的消减文库来分离与正常叶相比在结叶中显示增加的表达的克隆。将对这些克隆进行表征并确定表达模式。 植物的发育是通过分生组织的作用发生的，分生组织是一组自我更新的细胞，它们的衍生物构成了成熟植物的器官。为了了解分生组织的功能，重要的是要确定在分生组织中发挥作用的基因。kn1同源盒基因是一个合理的候选基因，影响分生组织的发展和各种实验和方法将采取，以了解这个基因的功能。 ***

9417916 Hake Experiments suggest that the homeobox containing gene, kn1, is a reasonable candidate for a gene which influences meristem development in both maize and Arabidopsis. A variety of approaches will be taken in order to understand how kn1 functions. Additional loss-of-function mutants will be obtained. Excisions of the transposable element Ds from a Ds-induced dominant allele in corn will be analyzed and anti-sense phenotypes of the Arabidopsis homologue will be obtained. Two approaches for isolating potential downstream target genes will be taken. The Arabidopsis over expression phenotype will be used to isolate suppressors and to find enhancer trap lines whose expression patterns change in relation to ectopic expression of kn1 or its homologue. Concurrently, a subtractive library made from maize knotted leaves will be used to isolate clones that show increased expression in knotted leaves as compared to normal leaves. Those clones will be characterized and expression patterns determined. %%% Plant development occurs by the action of meristems, groups of self-renewing cells whose derivatives elaborate the organs of the mature plant. In order to understand how the meristem functions, it is important to identify genes that play a role in the meristem. The kn1 homeobox containing gene is a reasonable candidate for a gene which influences meristem development and a variety of experiments and approaches will be taken in order to understand how this gene functions. ***