title: Molecular mechanisms of robustness in plants.
abstract: Robustness, the ability of organisms to buffer phenotypes against perturbations, has drawn renewed interest among developmental biologists and geneticists. A growing body of research supports an important role of robustness in the genotype to phenotype translation, with far-reaching implications for evolutionary processes and disease susceptibility. Similar to animals and fungi, plant robustness is a function of genetic network architecture. Most perturbations are buffered; however, perturbation of network hubs destabilizes many traits. Here, we review recent advances in identifying molecular robustness mechanisms in plants that have been enabled by a combination of classical genetics and population genetics with genome-scale data.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, 3720 15th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
authors.forename: Janne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lempe
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lachowiec
authors.forename: Alessandra M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Queitsch
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks; D023281:Genomics; D005838:Genotype; D018519:Meristem; D009154:Mutation; D010641:Phenotype; D063245:Plant Development; D010944:Plants / Q000235:genetics*; D036226:Seedlings