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Light Acquisition

Light Acquisition

In order to produce glucose, plants need to capture sufficient light energy. Many modern plants have evolved leaves specialized for light acquisition. Leaves can be only millimeters in width or tens of meters wide, depending on the environment. Due to competition for sunlight, evolution has driven the evolution of increasingly larger leaves and taller plants, to avoid shading by their neighbors with contaminant elaboration of root architecture and mechanisms to transport water and nutrients.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 28, 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

ZmDWF1 regulates leaf angle in maize.

Yingying Cao¹, Dandan Dou², Dongling Zhang³

¹State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.

Plant Science : an International Journal of Experimental Plant Biology

|September 16, 2022

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers identified the ZmDWF1 gene as a key regulator of leaf angle in maize, crucial for improving grain yield. This finding reveals a new genetic network controlling plant architecture.

Keywords:

Leaf angle Maize Regulatory network ZmDWF1

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Last Updated: Aug 28, 2025

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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 (LA) is a vital agronomic trait for enhancing maize grain yield, especially under high-density planting.
Identifying genes controlling LA variation is crucial, but few have been discovered via map-based cloning.

Purpose of the Study:

To clone and characterize the ZmDWF1 gene involved in brassinosteroids (BRs) biosynthesis.
To elucidate the regulatory network of ZmDWF1 in controlling maize plant architecture.

Main Methods:

Gene cloning and overexpression of ZmDWF1.
RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) to analyze gene expression changes.
Yeast-two hybrid (Y2H) screening and Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation (Bi-FC) assays to identify protein interactions.

Main Results:

Overexpression of ZmDWF1 led to an increased leaf angle, confirming its role as a positive regulator of LA.
RNA-Seq indicated ZmDWF1 influences genes in cell wall and hormone metabolism (BR, gibberellin, auxin).
Y2H and Bi-FC assays identified interactions between ZmDWF1 and three proteins: ZmPP2C-1, ZmROF1, and ZmTWD1.

Conclusions:

ZmDWF1 is a positive regulator of leaf angle in maize.
A novel regulatory network involving ZmDWF1, interacting proteins, and hormone pathways controls maize plant architecture.