A study on the establishment of plant epidermal cells

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K07422
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Morphology/Structure
• Research Institution: Okayama University
• Principal Investigator: Takahashi Taku 岡山大学, 自然科学研究科, 教授 (20271710)
• Research Collaborator: Motose Hiroyasu ; Okamoto Takashi
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: シロイヌナズナ / ゼニゴケ / 表皮 / 形態形成 / 細胞分化 / 転写因子

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To define how the identity of epidermal cells is established in plants, mutants of a gene in the moss Marchantia polymorpha, MpPDF2, which is homologous to Arabidopsis ATML1 and PDF2 encoding key transcription factors for epidermal cell differentiation, were generated by genome editing strategy. The result revealed that the null mutant was lethal while the weak mutant allele in the C-terminal domain showed remarkably delayed growth, suggesting that MpPDF2 is essential for survival. Furthermore, in Arabidopsis, the positional information of the epidermis was found to be established through the activation of ATML1 by its interaction with outermost cell-specific sphingo lipids.

Free Research Field

植物発生遺伝学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

植物の表皮は，器官どうしの融合回避や外的環境からの防御など，形態形成や生育に必須の役割を果たす。本研究では，地上部表皮細胞がどのように分化するかの機構解明を目指し，鍵となる転写因子タンパク質の重要性，活性化機構の一端を明らかにした。植物の発生分化，器官形態形成の分子基盤の解明において大きな進展であり，生命の本質の理解につながると同時に，地球環境や人類の生存を支える生き物としての植物の今後の研究に手がかりを与えると期待される。