A Comprehensive Study of the Maize Shoot Apex - Deciphering Genes Underlying Shoot Apical Meristem Allometry

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The vegetative shoot apical meristem (SAM) is responsible for the development of all organs in the plant shoot. Furthermore, SAM shape and size (allometry) is predictive of agronomically-important adult plant traits, implying that regulatory mechanisms acting in the SAM can be used to guide crop improvement programs. The goal of this proposal is to take advantage of the tremendous genomic resources available in maize to define genetic networks that regulate SAM structure and its function in stem cell maintenance and organogenesis. High-resolution image analysis will be used in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to identify genes associated with the tremendous natural variation in SAM architecture present in maize. In addition, I will perform RNA profiling to define gene expression differences induced by high-density plantings common in modern agriculture that are known to significantly alter SAM allometry. These data will be combined with domain-specific transcriptomic data from the maize shoot gene expression atlas and reverse genetic analyses, to come to a comprehensive understanding of the molecular networks that regulate SAM structure and function, and to reveal how network components respond to environmental change imposed by increased planting density. The genes identified will highlight candidate targets for selection to further improve breeding towards increased biomass production and yield.