How do nectaries form in Arabidopsis flowers?

了解多细胞生物如何形成它们的形状是发育生物学中最重要的问题之一。植物器官发生的遗传基础得到了深入的研究。然而，我们才刚刚开始了解基因指令是如何转化为生物形式的。要揭示基因是如何控制器官几何形状的，就需要对生物体中细胞行为的长期精确测量。最近，我们发现了雄蕊生长的细胞动力学，雄性生殖花器官。在这里，我们提议与加州大学洛杉矶分校的Lachezar Nikolov博士合作，探索蜜腺的发育动力学，蜜腺是位于花基部的微小花器官，它产生花蜜以吸引传粉者。我们的目的是发展共聚焦延时成像程序，以观察在拟南芥模式物种蜜腺的起始和生长。使用WT和突变植物，我们希望了解这些结构适当生长所需的细胞过程。我们还旨在将观察到的发育模式与已知参与蜜腺建立的关键分子调节因子联系起来。该项目不仅将为了解这些隐藏的花卉结构的发展铺平道路，而且还将为未来改进经济上重要的作物提供必要的基础，特别是如何生产出对传粉者更具吸引力的花朵。

Understanding how multi-cellular organisms generate their shapes is one of the most important questions in developmental biology. The genetic basis of organogenesis is intensively studied in plants. However, we just start to understand how genetic instructions are translated into biological forms. Uncovering how genes control organ geometries requires precise measurement of cellular behaviors over time in living organisms. Recently, we have uncovered cellular dynamics of growth in stamens, male reproductive floral organs. Here we propose to establish a collaboration with Dr. Lachezar Nikolov from UCLA to explore the developmental dynamics of nectaries, tiny floral organs located at the base of the flower that produces nectar for pollinator attraction. We aim to develop the confocal time-lapse imaging procedure to observe the initiation and growth of the nectaries in a model species Arabidopsis thaliana. Using WT and mutant plants we want to understand the cellular processes that are required for the proper outgrowth of those structures. We also aim to link observed developmental patterns with key molecular regulators known to be involved in nectaries' establishment. This project will not only pave the way toward the understanding of the development of those hidden floral structures but also provide the essential ground for future improvements of economically important crops, especially on how to produce flowers more attractive for pollinators.