scholarly journals The CLAVATA and SHOOT MERISTEMLESS loci competitively regulate meristem activity in Arabidopsis

Development ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 122 (5) ◽  
pp. 1567-1575 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.E. Clark ◽  
S.E. Jacobsen ◽  
J.Z. Levin ◽  
E.M. Meyerowitz

The CLAVATA (CLV1 and CLV3) and SHOOT MERISTEMLESS (STM) genes specifically regulate shoot meristem development in Arabidopsis. CLV and STH appear to have opposite functions: c1v1 and Clv3 mutants accumulate excess undifferentiated cells in the shoot and floral meristem, while stm mutants fail to form the undifferentiated cells of the shoot meristem during embryonic development. We have identified a weak allele of stm (stm-2) that reveals STM is not only required for the establish- ment of the shoot meristem, but is also required for the continued maintenance of undifferentiated cells in the shoot meristem and for proper proliferation of cells in the floral meristem. We have found evidence of genetic interactions between the CLV and STM loci. clv1 and c1v3 mutations partially suppressed the stm-1 and stm-2 phenotypes, and were capable of suppression in a dominant fashion. clv stm double mutants and plants homozygous for stm but heterozygous for clv, while still lacking an embryonic shoot meristem, exhibited greatly enhanced postembryonic shoot and floral meristem development. Although stm phenotypes are recessive, stm mutations dominantly suppressed clv homozygous and heterozygous phenotypes. These results indicate that the stm phenotype is sensitive to the levels of CLV activity, while the clv phenotype is sensitive to the level of STM activity. We propose that these genes play related but opposing roles in the regulation of cell division and/or cell differentiation in shoot and floral meristems.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ya Min ◽  
Stephanie J. Conway ◽  
Elena M. Kramer

ABSTRACTIn-depth investigation of any developmental process in plants requires knowledge of both the underpinning molecular networks and how they directly determine patterns of cell division and expansion over time. Floral meristems (FM) produce floral organs, after which they undergo floral meristem termination (FMT), and precise control of organ initiation and FMT is crucial to reproductive success of any flowering plant. Using a live confocal imaging, we characterized developmental dynamics during floral organ primordia initiation and FMT in Aquilegia coerulea (Ranunculaceae). Our results have uncovered distinct patterns of primordium initiation between stamens and staminodes compared to carpels, and provided insight into the process of FMT, which is discernable based on cell division dynamics preceding carpel initiation. To our knowledge, this is the first quantitative live imaging of meristem development in a system with numerous whorls of floral organs as well as an apocarpous gynoecium. This study provides crucial information for our understanding of how the spatial-temporal regulation of floral meristem behavior is achieved in both an evolutionary and developmental context.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharma Nidhi ◽  
Liu Tie

AbstractIn Arabidopsis, the genes SHOOT MERISTEMLESS (STM) and CLAVATA3 (CLV3) antagonistically regulate shoot meristem development. STM is essential for both development and maintenance of the meristem, as stm mutants fail to develop a shoot meristem during embryogenesis. CLV3, on the other hand, negatively regulates meristem proliferation, and clv3 mutants possess an enlarged shoot meristem. Genetic interaction studies revealed that stm and clv3 dominantly suppress each other’s phenotypes. STM works in conjunction with its closely related homologue KNOTTED1-LIKE HOMEOBOX GENE 6 (KNAT6) to promote meristem development and organ separation, as stm knat6 double mutants fail to form a meristem and produce a fused cotyledon. In this study, we show that clv3 fails to promote post-embryonic meristem formation in stm-1 background if we also remove KNAT6. stm-1 knat6 clv3 triple mutants result in early meristem termination and produce fused cotyledons similar to stm knat6 double mutant. Notably, the stm-1 knat6 and stm-1 knat6 clv3 alleles lack tissue in the presumed region of SAM. stm knat6 clv3 also showed reduced inflorescence size and shoot apex size as compared to clv3 single or stm clv3 double mutants. In contrast to previously published data, these data suggest that stm is epistatic to clv3 in postembryonic meristem development.HighlightSTM and KNAT6 genes determine post-embryonic meristem formation and activity in Arabidopsis. clv3 mutation is unable to rescue the stm knat6 meristemless phenotype.


Development ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 129 (13) ◽  
pp. 3207-3217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Luc Gallois ◽  
Claire Woodward ◽  
G. Venugopala Reddy ◽  
Robert Sablowski

Almost all aerial parts of plants are continuously generated at the shoot apical meristem (SAM). To maintain a steady pool of undifferentiated cells in the SAM while continuously generating new organs, it is necessary to balance the rate of cell division with the rate of entrance into differentiation pathways. In the Arabidopsis meristem, SHOOT MERISTEMLESS (STM) and WUSCHEL (WUS) are necessary to keep cells undifferentiated and dividing. Here, we tested whether ectopic STM and WUS functions are sufficient to revert differentiation and activate cell division in differentiating tissues. Ectopic STM and WUS functions interacted non-additively and activated a subset of meristem functions, including cell division, CLAVATA1 expression and organogenesis, but not correct phyllotaxy or meristem self-maintenance. Our results suggest that WUS produces a non-cell autonomous signal that activates cell division in combination with STM and that combined WUS/STM functions can initiate the progression from stem cells to organ initiation.


Development ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 127 (8) ◽  
pp. 1661-1670 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.P. Yu ◽  
E.J. Simon ◽  
A.E. Trotochaud ◽  
S.E. Clark

Mutations at the CLAVATA loci (CLV1, CLV2 and CLV3) result in the accumulation of undifferentiated cells at the shoot and floral meristems. We have isolated three mutant alleles of a novel locus, POLTERGEIST (POL), as suppressors of clv1, clv2 and clv3 phenotypes. All pol mutants were nearly indistinguishable from wild-type plants; however, pol mutations provided recessive, partial suppression of meristem defects in strong clv1 and clv3 mutants, and nearly complete suppression of weak clv1 mutants. pol mutations partially suppressed clv2 floral and pedicel defects in a dominant fashion, and almost completely suppressed clv2 phenotypes in a recessive manner. These observations, along with dominant interactions observed between the pol and wuschel (wus) mutations, indicate that POL functions as a critical regulator of meristem development downstream of the CLV loci and redundantly with WUS. Consistent with this, pol mutations do not suppress clv3 phenotypes by altering CLV1 receptor activation.


Development ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 121 (7) ◽  
pp. 2057-2067 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. E. Clark ◽  
M. P. Running ◽  
E. M. Meyerowitz

We have previously described the phenotype of Arabidopsis thaliana plants with mutations at the CLAVATA1 (CLV1) locus (Clark, S. E., Running, M. P. and Meyerowitz, E. M. (1993) Development 119, 397–418). Our investigations demonstrated that clv1 plants develop enlarged vegetative and inflorescence apical meristems, and enlarged and indeterminate floral meristems. Here, we present an analysis of mutations at a separate locus, CLAVATA3 (CLV3), that disrupt meristem development in a manner similar to clv1 mutations. clv3 plants develop enlarged apical meristems as early as the mature embryo stage. clv3 floral meristems are also enlarged compared with wild type, and maintain a proliferating meristem throughout flower development. clv3 root meristems are unaffected, indicating that CLV3 is a specific regulator of shoot and floral meristem development. We demonstrate that the strong clv3-2 mutant is largely epistatic to clv1 mutants, and that the semi- dominance of clv1 alleles is enhanced by double heterozygosity with clv3 alleles, suggesting that these genes work in the same pathway to control meristem development. We propose that CLV1 and CLV3 are required to promote the differentiation of cells at the shoot and floral meristem.


Fixed lineages are the extreme manifestation of the interrelations between cell division pattern, spatial organization and cell differentiation occurring in embryonic development. These relationships are discussed in the light of recent new detailed descriptions of lineages, experimental perturbations and genetic analysis. Lineages could be phylogenetically old devices under the control of specific genes that are required to organize the morphological space. Such genes would be different from those involved in the specification of lineage alternatives. Specification genes operate independently from each other and are expressed in a combinatorial way in different cells and lineages. Since their activity is reversible during development the possibility exists for changing these combinatorial associations during development and evolution. The classical notion of a hierarchical cascade segregation of histotypes along lineages is discussed.


Development ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 125 (14) ◽  
pp. 2545-2553 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.P. Running ◽  
J.C. Fletcher ◽  
E.M. Meyerowitz

The study of cell division control within developing tissues is central to understanding the processes of pattern formation. The floral meristem of angiosperms gives rise to floral organs in a particular number and pattern. Despite its critical role, little is known about how cell division is controlled in the floral meristem, and few genes involved have been identified. We describe the phenotypic effects of mutations in WIGGUM, a gene required for control of cell proliferation in the floral and apical meristem of Arabidopsis thaliana. wiggum flowers contain more organs, especially sepals and petals, than found in wild-type flowers. This organ number phenotype correlates with specific size changes in the early floral meristem, preceding organ initiation. Genetic studies suggest that WIGGUM acts on a similar process but in a separate pathway than the CLAVATA1 and CLAVATA3 genes in meristem size regulation, and reveal interactions with other genes affecting meristem structure and identity. Analysis of double mutant phenotypes also reveals a role for WIGGUM in apical meristem function. We propose that WIGGUM plays a role in restricting cell division relative to cellular differentiation in specific regions of the apical and floral meristems.


2019 ◽  
Vol 144 (5) ◽  
pp. 314-320
Author(s):  
Jenny L. Bolivar-Medina ◽  
Camilo Villouta ◽  
Beth Ann Workmaster ◽  
Amaya Atucha

The formation and development of floral meristems is key to fruit production. However, limited information regarding the development of floral buds during the dormant period of cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) constrains the ability to forecast yield early and accurately. The objectives of this study were to characterize the development of floral meristems from fall to spring and to evaluate the number of floral meristems formed across different bud sizes and upright types, as well as their contribution to the fruit production of the next year. Apical buds of different sizes on vegetative and fruiting uprights were tagged and collected periodically from fall to spring for histological study. An extra set of tagged buds was left in the field to evaluate their flower and fruit production. Five stages of floral development were identified based on the concentric differentiation of organ primordia. Large buds from vegetative uprights developed earlier, had a higher number of floral meristems, and became fruiting uprights; they had the highest number of flowers and fruit. Buds from fruiting uprights had the lowest number of floral meristems and delayed development; subsequently, they had the lowest number of fruit per upright. Our results provide evidence of active floral meristem differentiation during fall and winter, as well as differences in the timing and development stage according to bud size. In addition, our study shows that upright types and bud sizes influence the fruit production of the following year; therefore, they should be considered in cranberry crop forecasting models.


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