The rice FON1 gene controls vegetative and reproductive development by regulating shoot apical meristem size.
Most plant organs develop from meristems. Rice FON1, which is an ortholog of Clv1, regulates stem cell proliferation and organ initiation. The point muta-tions, fon1-1 and fon1-2, disrupt meristem balance, resulting in alteration of floral organ numbers and the architecture of primary rachis branches. In this study, we identified two knockout alleles, fon1-3 and fon1-4, generated by T-DNA and Tos17 insertion, respectively. Unlike the previously isolated point mutants, the null mutants have alterations not only of the reproductive organs but also of vegetative tissues, producing fewer tillers and secondary rachis branches. The mutant plants are semi-dwarfs due to delayed leaf emergence, and leaf senescence is delayed. SEM analysis showed that the shoot apical meristems of fon1-3 mutants are enlarged. These results indicate that FON1 controls vegetative as well as reproductive development by regulating meristem size.
Moon
Sunok
S
National Research Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics, Division of Molecular and Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang 790-784, Korea.
Jung
Ki-Hong
KH
Lee
Do-Eun
DE
Lee
Dong-Yeon
DY
Lee
Jinwon
J
An
Kyungsook
K
Kang
Hong-Gyu
HG
An
Gynheung
G
D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism; D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000378:metabolism; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000302:isolation & purification; D035264:Flowers / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D017343:Genes, Plant / Q000235:genetics*; D018519:Meristem / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional / Q000235:genetics; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D009929:Organ Size; D012275:Oryza / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development*; D010641:Phenotype; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D018520:Plant Shoots / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012098:Reproduction / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology
D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D010940:Plant Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C036483:T-DNA; D002734:Chlorophyll