Patterning Genes in Streptophytes: Origin of a Basic Developmental Patterning System and its Role in the Evolution of Land Plant Form

陆地植物的起源是地球进化史上最重要的事件之一。与陆地植物体平面进化相关的一个关键特征是源于茎尖分生组织的三维组织模式的起源，具有分支，产生叶和花的能力，以及根的起源。本研究的目的是表征所有陆生植物谱系和藻类姐妹群中III类HD-Zip和KANADI基因家族的特征。之所以选择这些基因家族，是因为它们在拟南芥SAM功能、茎、叶和根组织模式以及维管分化中起着关键作用，代表了陆地植物体形进化的关键创新。由于这两个基因家族的成员在拟南芥的每个组织中都作为一个单一的遗传程序发挥作用，因此在广泛的植物系统发育样本中研究基因表达和功能的进化有可能提供证据，证明这种遗传程序是如何被选择来形成新的形态结构的。这些知识可以应用于农业或林业目的的植物结构操纵。这项研究将涉及来自不同背景的几名本科生，他们将继续在各种研究生课程中接受教育，或者继续在生物技术行业工作。此外，拟议的研究将提供进化发育生物学的本科生和研究生培训。

The origin of land plants was one of the most important events in the earth's evolutionary history. A key feature associated with the evolution of the land plant body plan was the origin of three dimensional tissue patterning derived from a shoot apical meristem, with the capacity for branching, production of leaves and flowers, and the origin of roots. The aims of the proposed research are to characterize the Class III HD-Zip and KANADI gene families in plants representing all land plant lineages and the algal sister group. These gene families were chosen because of their pivotal roles in Arabidopsis in the SAM function, patterning of tissues in stem, leaf, and root, and vascular differentiation, which represent the key innovations of land plant body plan evolution. Since members of both gene families function as a single genetic program in each of the tissues where they act in Arabidopsis, investigation of the evolution of gene expression and function in a broad phylogenetic sample of plants has the potential to yield evidence of how this genetic program has been co-opted to pattern new morphological structures. Such knowledge may be applied to manipulate plant architecture for agricultural or forestry purposes. This research will involve several undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds who will either continue their education in various graduate programs or go on to jobs in the biotech industry. In addition, the proposed research will provide undergraduate and graduate training in evolutionary developmental biology.