Pattern formation in the Arabidopsis embryo: a genetic perspective.
During embryogenesis, a single cell gives rise to different cell types, tissues and organs which are arranged in a biologically meaningful context, or pattern. The resulting basic body organization of higher plants, which is expressed in the seedling, provides a reference system for postembryonic development during which the meristems of the shoot and the root produce the adult body. The seedling may be viewed as the superimposition of two patterns: one along the apical-basal axis of polarity and the other perpendicular to the axis. To analyse mechanisms underlying pattern formation in the embryo, a genetic approach has been taken in Arabidopsis. Mutations in a small number of genes alter one or the other of the two patterns. The mutant phenotypes suggest that early partitioning of the axis is followed by region-specific development, including the formation of the primary shoot and root meristems. The cloning of two genes involved in pattern formation provides a basis for mechanistic studies of how cells adopt specific fates in the developing embryo.
Jürgens
G
G
Lehrstuhl für Entwicklungsgenetik, Universität Tübingen, Germany.
Mayer
U
U
Busch
M
M
Lukowitz
W
W
Laux
T
T
D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000502:physiology; D017343:Genes, Plant / Q000502:physiology; D018519:Meristem / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics; D009154:Mutation / Q000502:physiology; D012639:Seeds / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics