The Genetic Control of the Compound Leaf Patterning in Medicago truncatula
Xiaoyu Mo1,2, Liangliang He1, Ye Liu1,3
1CAS Key Laboratory of Topical Plant Resources and Sustainable Use, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China.
Abstract:
Simple and compound which are the two basic types of leaves are distinguished by the pattern of the distribution of blades on the petiole. Compared to simple leaves comprising a single blade, compound leaves have multiple blade units and exhibit more complex and diverse patterns of organ organization, and the molecular mechanisms underlying their pattern formation are receiving more and more attention in recent years. Studies in model legume Medicago truncatula have led to an improved understanding of the genetic control of the compound leaf patterning. This review is an attempt to summarize the current knowledge about the compound leaf morphogenesis of M. truncatula, with a focus on the molecular mechanisms involved in pattern formation. It also includes some comparisons of the molecular mechanisms between leaf morphogenesis of different model species and offers useful information for the molecular design of legume crops.
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