Functional analyses of plant shoot development: leaves , meristems, embryos and stem.
2007 Impact statement- Scanlon, Michael J.
abstract
All lateral organs in plant shoots are derived from shoot meristems, discrete populations of stems cells that are self-renewing and organogenic. Likewise, grain yield in maize is dependent upon the formation and maintenance of a variety of shoot meristem structures in the ear inflorescence. Genetic and genomic analyses of meristem will provide additional insight into the mechanisms of shoot meristem function in an important crop plant.
submitted by
- Scanlon, Michael J. | Associate Professor
issue being addressed
Although molecular genetic analyses of meristem function in the model eudicot Arabidopsis are an invaluable resource in meristem development studies of maize, and other crop species, several cases of genetic incongruence have demonstrated the importance of utilizing maize mutants and genomics in analyses of maize meristem function.
response
A genetic approach (utilizing various mutants defective in leaf, meristem, embryo, or rhizome development) is used in combination with a genomic approach (involving laser-microdissection microarray and massive parallel sequencing of meristem, leaf, and rhizome gene expresssion) in order to understand the basic developmental genetic mechanisms of meristem initiation and maintenance, leaf initiation and differentiation, and rhizome initiation in grasses.
impact assessment
Our work has provided identification and expression patterns of previously undescribed gene functions and functional networks for meristem function and leaf development, and has contributed over 300,000 ESTs to the maize gene database. Our project databases are a unique resource for future studies of shoot development
academic priority area
- Land-Grant Mission | CALS academic priority
- New Life Sciences | CALS academic priority
topic description
basic research of grwoth and development of crops; crop improvement
has geographic focus
- Tompkins County | county
- New York State | state
funding source description
National Science Foundation
collaborators
- Truman State University
- Iowa State University
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
- University of Georgia
- University of California, Davis
- Kansas State University
- University of Minnesota
- University of Arizona
key personnel
- Marja Timmermans
- Andrew Paterson
- Jianming Yu
- Rich Jorgenson
- Neelima Sinha
- Gary Muehlbauer
- Diane Janick-Buckner, Brent Buckner, Jon Beck
- Patrick Schnable, Dan Nettleton
mission focus
- extension/outreach | project type
- research | project type
From CALS annual faculty reporting. Imported on August 5, 2008