Patterning Genes in Streptophytes: Origin of a Basic Developmental Patterning System and its Role in the Evolution of Land Plant Form

陆地植物的起源是地球进化史上最重要的事件之一。与陆地植物体计划演变相关的一个关键特征是三维组织图案的起源，该三维组织图案来自于具有分枝能力、产生叶和花以及根的起源的顶端分生组织。拟议研究的目的是确定代表所有陆地植物谱系和藻类姐妹群的植物中的III类HD-Zip和Kanadi基因家族的特征。这些基因家族之所以被选中，是因为它们在拟南芥的SAM功能、茎、叶和根组织的模式形成以及维管分化中发挥着关键作用，这些基因代表了陆地植物身体计划进化的关键创新。由于这两个基因家族的成员在它们作用于拟南芥的每个组织中都作为一个单一的遗传程序发挥作用，因此在广泛的植物系统发育样本中研究基因表达和功能的进化可能会产生证据，证明这一遗传程序如何被用来构建新的形态结构。这类知识可用于操控农业或林业用途的植物结构。这项研究将涉及几名来自不同背景的本科生，他们要么继续接受各种研究生课程的教育，要么继续在生物技术行业工作。此外，拟议的研究将提供进化发育生物学方面的本科生和研究生培训。

The origin of land plants was one of the most important events in the earth's evolutionary history. A key feature associated with the evolution of the land plant body plan was the origin of three dimensional tissue patterning derived from a shoot apical meristem, with the capacity for branching, production of leaves and flowers, and the origin of roots. The aims of the proposed research are to characterize the Class III HD-Zip and KANADI gene families in plants representing all land plant lineages and the algal sister group. These gene families were chosen because of their pivotal roles in Arabidopsis in the SAM function, patterning of tissues in stem, leaf, and root, and vascular differentiation, which represent the key innovations of land plant body plan evolution. Since members of both gene families function as a single genetic program in each of the tissues where they act in Arabidopsis, investigation of the evolution of gene expression and function in a broad phylogenetic sample of plants has the potential to yield evidence of how this genetic program has been co-opted to pattern new morphological structures. Such knowledge may be applied to manipulate plant architecture for agricultural or forestry purposes. This research will involve several undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds who will either continue their education in various graduate programs or go on to jobs in the biotech industry. In addition, the proposed research will provide undergraduate and graduate training in evolutionary developmental biology.