Transposon tagging of the Defective embryo and meristems gene of tomato.
The shoot and root apical meristems (SAMs and RAMs, respectively) of higher plants are mechanistically and structurally similar. This has led previously to the suggestion that the SAM and RAM represent modifications of a fundamentally homologous plan of organization. Despite recent interest in plant development, especially in the areas of meristem regulation, genes specifically required for the function of both the SAM and RAM have not yet been identified. Here, we report on a novel gene, Defective embryo and meristems (Dem), of tomato. This gene is required for the correct organization of shoot apical tissues of developing embryos, SAM development, and correct cell division patterns and meristem maintenance in roots. Dem was cloned using transposon tagging and shown to encode a novel protein of 72 kD with significant homology to YNV2, a protein of unknown function of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Dem is expressed in root and shoot meristems and organ primordia but not in callus. The expression pattern of Dem mRNA in combination with the dem mutant phenotype suggests that Dem plays an important role within apical meristems.
Keddie
J S
JS
Department of Plant Biology, 211 Koshland Hall, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA. jkeddie@mendelbio.com
Carroll
B J
BJ
Thomas
C M
CM
Reyes
M E
ME
Klimyuk
V
V
Holtan
H
H
Gruissem
W
W
Jones
J D
JD
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D002455:Cell Division; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D018519:Meristem; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D018517:Plant Roots; D018520:Plant Shoots; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
C113355:DEM protein, Lycopersicon esculentum; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D010940:Plant Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins