Regulation of floral growth and patterning in Arabidopsis thaliana

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Beth KrizekIOS-1354452Regulation of floral growth and patterning in Arabidopsis thalianaFlowers initiate from the shoot apical meristem, a dome-shaped structure at the top of a plant that produces new organs throughout the plant's life. After outgrowth of a flower primordium from the meristem, floral organ primordia appear in characteristic positions within the flower and develop into one of four organ types: sepals, petals, stamens or carpels. Little is known about the mechanisms that control the positioning of floral organ initiation at particular locations within the flower and the means by which floral organs grow and develop into their characteristic forms. The experiments proposed here will investigate these little-understood aspects of plant development by studying two proteins that have partially overlapping functions in regulating gene expression within a flower. This project will use molecular and genetic approaches to investigate whether these proteins interact with each other and genomic approaches to identify genes that are regulated by these proteins. These studies will provide novel insights into pathways controlling the initiation and development of floral organs. As flowers give rise to essential components of the human diet, an understanding of how a flower is formed will contribute knowledge important for agricultural improvements needed to feed a growing world population. The collaborative nature of the project will provide interdisciplinary research experiences for students and a postdoctoral fellow in plant development, genomics and bioinformatics. The project will also provide a summer research internship for a high school teacher who will use this experience to develop inquiry-based learning modules.