Genetic and phenotypic analyses of petal development in Arabidopsis

The link between gene regulation/function and organ shape (morphogenesis) is poorly understood and remains one of the major issues in developmental biology. Petals are attractive model organs for studying organogenesis mainly because they have a simple laminar structure with a small number of cell types. Moreover, because petals are dispensable for plant growth and reproduction, one can experimentally manipulate petal development and dissect the genetic mechanisms behind the changes without serious effects on plant viability. Here, we describe the methods used to study petal development at the molecular, cytological, and genetic level, and more specifically mitotic and post-mitotic growth control during petal morphogenesis.