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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 6, 2025

Author Spotlight: Improved Methods for Preparing Transverse Sections and Unrolled Whole Mounts of Maize Leaf Primordia for Fluorescence and Confocal Imaging

Author Spotlight: Improved Methods for Preparing Transverse Sections and Unrolled Whole Mounts of Maize Leaf Primordia for Fluorescence and Confocal Imaging

Published on: September 22, 2023

Characterization of regulatory modules controlling leaf angle in maize.

Xiaokun Wang¹, Xianglan Wang¹, Shilei Sun¹

¹State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Agronomic Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong 271018, China.

Plant Physiology

|June 27, 2022

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study identifies ZmBEH1 as a key transcription factor regulating maize leaf angle by influencing cell layers. It reveals a regulatory network involving ZmLG2, ZmBEH1, ZmBZR1, and ZmSCL28 for optimal plant architecture.

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Kinematic Analysis of Cell Division and Expansion: Quantifying the Cellular Basis of Growth and Sampling Developmental Zones in Zea mays Leaves

Kinematic Analysis of Cell Division and Expansion: Quantifying the Cellular Basis of Growth and Sampling Developmental Zones in Zea mays Leaves

Published on: December 2, 2016

Area of Science:

Plant genetics
Molecular biology
Agronomy

Background:

Leaf angle is a critical agronomic trait in maize (Zea mays), impacting planting density and light penetration.
Understanding the molecular basis of leaf angle is crucial for improving maize yield, yet knowledge beyond ZmLG1 and ZmLG2 is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the molecular mechanisms controlling maize leaf angle.
To identify novel genes and regulatory pathways involved in leaf development and architecture.

Main Methods:

Investigated the role of transcription factor ZmBEH1 in leaf angle regulation.
Analyzed interactions between ZmLG2, ZmBEH1, ZmBZR1, and ZmSCL28.
Examined gene expression and promoter binding activities.

Main Results:

ZmLG2 directly targets and regulates the transcription factor ZmBEH1.
ZmBEH1 influences leaf angle by affecting adaxial sclerenchyma cell layers.
ZmBEH1 and ZmBZR1 interact and co-regulate the expression of ZmSCL28, another TF involved in leaf angle.

Conclusions:

A novel regulatory module involving ZmLG2, ZmBEH1, ZmBZR1, and ZmSCL28 controls maize leaf angle.
These findings provide potential gene editing targets for developing maize varieties with improved architecture for dense planting.