The role of WOX genes regulating apical embryo patterning

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One of the central questions in development is how a multicellular organism arises from a single celled zygote. Studies in plants identified transcriptional factors and signaling pathways as important components in the formation of the main body axes and the subsequent initiation of organs and tissues. In Arabidopsis thaliana the WUSCHEL homeobox (WOX) gene family includes several members that are expressed in very specific and dynamic patterns during embryo development from the zygote stage onwards, but single mutant analysis has not revealed their function. In the previous funding period, our studies of multiple mutant combinations has identified a network of WOX genes that regulate patterning of the apical embryo domain, suggesting that WOX mediated transcriptional control is an essential component of establishing the Arabidopsis body plan. We identified that this WOX gene network regulates gradients of auxin distribution and expression of the PINFORMED1 (PIN1) gene, which encodes an auxin transport facilitating protein, establishing an exciting link between transcription programs and hormone signaling during early embryo patterning. In this proposal we will investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms by which WOX genes function in apical embryo patterning.