Roles of homeodomain proteins in plant morphogenesis responding enviromental stimuli

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Plant morphogenesis is not only regulated by the intrinsic developmental program but also influenced by environmental stimuli. Although plant hormones should play a key role in this complex process, both their upstream and downstream elements in the process are still unclear. To understand signal transduction pathways from environmental stimuli to plant morphogenesis, we are studying roles of HID-Zip-type transcription factors in the pathways.ATHB-1 and ATHB-2 are homeobox genes that were first identified in Arabidopsis. Using transgenic plants expressing ATHB-1, ATHB-2, or their derivatives, we analyzed their roles in plant morphogenesis and transcriptional networks which they involved in. As results, we found that transgenic Arabidopsis plants carrying a modified ATHB-1 gene showed a morphological change in leaves. We also found that ATHB-2 is involved in the regulation of direction of cell elongation in a hypocotyle and leaves, and that ATHB-2 seems to be closely related with morphological changes induced by far-red-rich light, so-called "shade avoidance".