Role of the bZIP transcription factor PERIANTHIA in the regulatory network underlying meristem function and floral patterning

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This proposal is aimed at elucidating the role of PERIANTHIA (PAN), a bZIP transcription factor, in the regulatory network that underlies meristem function and floral patterning on a mechanistic level. PAN is active both in the shoot apical meristem as well as in young floral primordia, where it is necessary for the correct specification of perianth organ number. We have found that in addition to this role, PAN has important functions in floral development by activating AGAMOUS (AG), a core regulator necessary for patterning as well as stem cell control. Furthermore, pan mutations affect the expression of central players of the stem cell system in the shoot apical meristem. We are now proposing to study how PAN is able to control these two very diverse functions, namely cell proliferation in the shoot meristem and cell differentiation in emerging flowers. The specific aims are: (1) Identification of PAN targets by expression profiling and genome-wide binding studies. (2) Identification and analysis of PAN co-factors. (3) Discovery of novel genes in the PAN network. (4) Integration of PAN into known regulatory networks of meristem control and floral patterning. (5) Mechanistic understanding of PAN regulation. The proposed project will substantially advance our understanding of the regulatory network underlying meristem function and floral patterning and elucidate how can PAN act as a molecular switch between proliferation and differentiation of meristematic cells. On the infrastructure level, the community will not only benefit from the large-scale datasets produced, but more importantly from the advancements in chromatin-immunoprecipitation with microarray detection technologies we will achieve during the project. These technologies will be made available to other AFGN/NSF2010 groups immediately, even prior to publication.