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Efficient Polyethylene Glycol PEG Mediated Transformation of the Moss Physcomitrella patens
Published on: April 19, 2011
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Plasma membrane-targeted PIN proteins drive shoot development in a moss
Tom A Bennett1, Maureen M Liu2, Tsuyoshi Aoyama2
1Plant Sciences Department, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK; Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Bateman Street, Cambridge CB2 1LR, UK.
Current Biology : CB
|December 3, 2014
Summary
PIN-mediated auxin transport is crucial for plant shoot development, regulating apical function and leaf formation in moss gametophytes. This ancient mechanism is conserved across land plants, influencing shoot architecture.
Area of Science:
- Plant Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Plant body plans develop from meristematic tips in both gametophyte (n) and sporophyte (2n) stages.
- Auxin transport by PIN proteins regulates sporophyte shoot development in flowering plants.
- PIN function conservation and bryophyte gametophyte development mechanisms remain largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the role of PIN-mediated auxin transport in bryophyte gametophyte shoot development.
- Determine the conservation of PIN function in land plant evolution.
- Elucidate mechanisms regulating moss gametophytic shoot development.
Main Methods:
- Treatment of Physcomitrella patens gametophytic shoots with auxins and auxin transport inhibitors.
- Analysis of two plasma membrane-localized PIN proteins in moss shoots.
- Characterization of pin mutants in Physcomitrella patens.
Main Results:
- Exogenous auxins and transport inhibitors disrupted apical function and leaf development in moss gametophytes.
- PIN proteins are expressed in leafy moss shoots, and pin mutants exhibit phenotypes similar to auxin-treated plants.
- PIN-mediated auxin transport regulates apical cell function, leaf initiation, leaf shape, and shoot tropisms in moss gametophytes.
- Moss sporophytes with pin mutations showed branching, a phenotype previously observed only in fossils and rare natural variants.
Conclusions:
- PIN-mediated auxin transport is a conserved and ancient regulator of shoot development.
- This mechanism plays a vital role in shaping plant architecture across different land plant lineages.
- The study provides insights into the evolutionary basis of plant body plan development.
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