Abstract
Meristem function in plants requires both the maintenance of stem cells and the specification of founder cells from which lateral organs arise. Lateral organs are patterned along proximodistal, dorsoventral and mediolateral axes1,2. Here we show that the Arabidopsis mutant asymmetric leaves1 (as1) disrupts this process. AS1 encodes a myb domain protein, closely related to PHANTASTICA in Antirrhinum and ROUGH SHEATH2 in maize, both of which negatively regulate knotted-class homeobox genes. AS1 negatively regulates the homeobox genes KNAT1 and KNAT2 and is, in turn, negatively regulated by the meristematic homeobox gene SHOOT MERISTEMLESS. This genetic pathway defines a mechanism for differentiating between stem cells and organ founder cells within the shoot apical meristem and demonstrates that genes expressed in organ primordia interact with meristematic genes to regulate shoot morphogenesis.
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Acknowledgements
We thank A. Groover, C. Kidner, E. Vollbrecht, M. Timmermans, J. Golz and D. Jackson for helpful discussions, Q. Gu, P. Springer, J. Li and J. Chory for help with mapping and T. Laux for wus-1 seed. We also thank T. Mulligan for plant care, and K. Schutz and D. McCombie for help with sequencing. This work was supported by a Human Frontiers Science Program postdoctoral fellowship to M.C., a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council studentship to R.B. and grant support from the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy and United States Department of Agriculture to R.M.
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Byrne, M., Barley, R., Curtis, M. et al. Asymmetric leaves1 mediates leaf patterning and stem cell function in Arabidopsis. Nature 408, 967–971 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/35050091
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/35050091
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