Analysis of the role of FASCIATED EAR2 (FEA2) in a signaling pathway that restricts meristem growth in maize

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Shoot meristems have the remarkable ability to regulate their size during development. They do this by balancing stem cell division with the incorporation of cells into new primordia. In Arabidopsis, this balance is controlled by the CLAVATA signaling pathway. The current model proposes that a heterodimeric receptor complex composed of the receptor kinase CLAVATA1 and the receptor protein CLAVATA2 limits the expression of the stem cell promoting factor WUSCHEL. Analysis of the fasciated ear2 (fea2) and thick tassel dwarf1 (td1) genes in maize suggests that this pathway is conserved among angiosperms, as they encode orthologous genes with apparently conserved functions. I propose to use biochemical approaches to characterize the FEA2 receptor complex. By using a transgenic FEA2 tandem affinity purification tag line I will purify the complex and characterize it by spectometric methods such as Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry or Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry. Identified proteins and their corresponding genes will be analysed by expression profiling, mutant phenotypes analysis and their genetic interactions with fea2 and td1, with the aim to improve our knowledge of regulation of meristem size and morphogenesis in maize and other angiosperms.