Functional Analysis of Leaf Pattern Formation

叶片形态形成的功能分析多细胞生物在发育过程中必须控制细胞和组织的空间组织，以获得其适当的形态。在生长过程中，控制空间组织模式如何形成的信号的性质尚不清楚。这个项目旨在通过研究玉米叶片的生长来增加我们对植物模式形成的理解。玉米叶片是研究图案形成的一个极好的系统，因为它由四个不同的组织组成。叶鞘是离茎最近的组织，而叶片是离茎最远的组织。把鞘和叶片分开的是耳廓和舌瓣。这种从近端到远端的生长模式在发育叶片原基的早期就建立起来，对正常的叶片形状至关重要。分子遗传学研究表明，一种启动植物激素细胞分裂素（CK）（玉米细胞分裂素受体）感知信号的蛋白质突变，破坏了叶片生长的近端-远端模式。这一结果表明CK信号与叶片模式形成之间存在直接联系，这是这一关键植物激素的新功能。本项目将利用分子、遗传、基因组和细胞生物学方法的结合，研究CK信号在建立适当的叶片生长模式中所起的作用。本项目的结果有望揭示CK信号的组成部分如何参与指导叶片生长模式，并确定控制叶片模式形成的其他分子参与者。该项目将涉及一名博士后科学家和几名本科生的跨学科培训。此外，详细了解叶片发育的分子控制对于在气候变化和全球需求增加的情况下提高作物产量至关重要。

Michael G. MuszynskiIOS-1022452Functional Analysis of Leaf Pattern FormationMulticellular organisms must control the spatial organization of cells and tissues during development in order to attain their proper forms. The nature of the signals that control how spatially organized patterns are formed during growth is poorly understood. This project aims to increase our understanding of how patterns are formed in plants by studying maize leaf growth. The maize leaf is an excellent system in which to study pattern formation since it is organized into four distinct tissues. The leaf sheath is the most proximal tissue located closest to the stem, while the blade is the most distal tissue located furthest from the stem. Separating the sheath and blade are the auricle and the ligule. This proximal-to-distal pattern of growth is established early in developing leaf primordia and is essential for normal leaf shape. Molecular genetic studies revealed that mutations in a protein that initiates signaling of the perception of the plant hormone cytokinin (CK), the maize cytokinin receptor, disrupted the proximal-distal pattern of leaf growth. This result suggests a direct link between CK signaling and leaf pattern formation which is a new function for this critical plant hormone. This project will investigate the role CK signaling plays in establishing proper leaf growth patterns using a combination of molecular, genetic, genomic and cell biological approaches. The results of this project are expected to reveal how the components of CK signaling participate in guiding leaf growth patterns and to identify additional molecular players controlling pattern formation in leaves. The project will involve cross-disciplinary training of a post-doctoral scientist and several undergraduate students. Furthermore, a detailed understanding of the molecular control of leaf development is essential to improve crop production in the face of a changing climate and increased global demand.