Studies on new factors involved in shoot and root apical meristem formation

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24770049
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Plant molecular biology/Plant physiology
• Research Institution: National Institute for Basic Biology
• Principal Investigator: SUZAKI Takuya 基礎生物学研究所, 共生システム研究部門, 助教 (40575825)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 茎頂分裂組織 / 根端分裂組織

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Postembryonic plant development ultimately depends on the activity of shoot and root apical meristem, which are respectively located at the tip of shoot and root. The molecular mechanisms of individual meristems formation have been intensively studied in Arabidopsis, however, it remains elusive with respect to the conserved regulatory mechanism of both meristems. In this study, we isolated 3 novel Lotus japonicus mutants that are defective in maintenance of both types of meristems. To gain the new insights into the respective and common mechanisms in the regulation of the meristems, we performed the phenotypic analyses of the mutants and tried to identify the responsible genes. Positional cloning together with genome resequencing approach identified the responsible genes. Future functional analyses will contribute further to our understanding of the detailed regulatory mechanisms of each meristems and their commonality.

Free Research Field

植物発生遺伝学