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自茎顶端分生组织的三维组织图案的起源，具有分枝、产生叶和花以及根的起源的能力。拟议研究的目的是表征代表所有陆地植物谱系和藻类姐妹群的植物中的III类HD-Zip和KANADI基因家族。选择这些基因家族是因为它们在拟南芥中的SAM功能，茎，叶和根中组织的图案化以及维管分化中起关键作用，这些基因家族代表了陆地植物体平面进化的关键创新。由于这两个基因家族的成员作为一个单一的遗传程序，在每个组织中，他们在拟南芥中的作用，在广泛的植物系统发育样本中的基因表达和功能的进化的调查有可能产生的证据表明，这种遗传程序已增选模式新的形态结构。这些知识可以应用于出于农业或林业目的操纵植物结构。这项研究将涉及来自不同背景的几名本科生，他们将继续接受各种研究生课程的教育，或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.