Elucidating the mechanism of BROAD LEAF1 action in controlling barley leaf growth

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In plants and animals, organs grow to characteristic sizes and shapes. Recent work in dicotyledonous model species has identified a large number of genes involved in determining leaf size and shape, and their mechanisms of action are beginning to be elucidated. By contrast, much less is known about the genes controlling leaf growth in monocotyledonous plants. A better understanding of this process is required to assess the extent to which the genetic and molecular mechanisms of growth control are conserved between these major groups of flowering plants, despite the important differences in the development of their leaves. To contribute to answering this question, the proposed project focuses on two barley mutants with specific effects on leaf width. We will characterize the growth phenotypes of the mutants in detail at different levels. The two genes will be isolated using a combination of genetic mapping and whole-genome array hybridization. Their functions will be studied in barley, and their orthologues from Arabidopsis thaliana will be characterized to determine whether their functions in growth control are conserved. Lastly, we will search for signatures of selection on the two genes during barley domestication and/or crop improvement.