title: The ERECTA gene controls spatial and temporal patterns of epidermal cell number and size in successive developing leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  ERECTA has been identified as a pleiotropic regulator of developmental and physiological processes in Arabidopsis thaliana. Previous work demonstrated a role for ERECTA in the control of compensation between epidermal cell expansion and division in leaves.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this work, spatial and temporal analyses of epidermal cell division and expansion were performed on successive developing vegetative leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana in both ERECTA and erecta lines, LER and Ler, respectively, to understand how the ERECTA gene regulates compensation between these two processes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The loss of ERECTA function leads to a low cell expansion rate in all zones of a leaf and in all successive leaves of a plant. This low cell expansion rate is counterbalanced by an increase in the duration of cell division. As a consequence, the ERECTA mutation eliminates the tip to base cellular gradient generally observed in the leaf epidermis and also flattens the heteroblastic changes in epidermal cell area and number within a rosette. Ablation of floral buds eliminates the heteroblastic changes in cellular patterns in an ERECTA-dependent manner.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results provide a detailed description of changes in leaf growth dynamics and cellular variables in both LER and Ler. Altogether they suggest that ERECTA influences leaf cellular development in relation to whole plant ontogeny.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Ecophysiologie des Plantes sous Stress Environnementaux, INRA-AGRO-M, UMR 759, 2 Place Viala, 34060 Montpellier Cedex 1, France.
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tisné
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barbier
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Granier
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D019521:Body Patterning; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D009154:Mutation; D010641:Phenotype; D017440:Photoperiod; D019441:Plant Epidermis / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013696:Temperature; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D014867:Water; C457763:ER protein, Arabidopsis; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases