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Updated: May 8, 2026
07:52
Live Cell Imaging of Microtubule Cytoskeleton and Micromechanical Manipulation of the Arabidopsis Shoot Apical Meristem
Published on: May 23, 2020
SERRATE Regulates Floral Meristem Activity by Antagonizing SHOOT MERISTEMLESS and Repressing Cytokinin Signaling
Wen Yang1, Yiting Wang1, Yuxin You1
1State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
Summary
SERRATE (SE) regulates floral organ development by repressing cytokinin biosynthesis genes. This finding reveals SE
Area of Science:
- Plant biology
- Developmental biology
- Genetics
Background:
- SHOOT MERISTEMLESS (STM) maintains shoot apical meristem (SAM) and floral meristem (FM) activity.
- STM is crucial for carpel formation; its mutants lack carpels.
- SERRATE (SE) is involved in miRNA biogenesis and partially restores carpel formation in stm mutants, but its role in meristem maintenance is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the function of SERRATE (SE) in meristem maintenance and flower development.
- Elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which SE interacts with STM in floral development.
- Determine how SE regulates cytokinin biosynthesis pathways.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of se-1 partial loss-of-function mutants.
- Genetic analysis of se stm double mutants.
- Gene expression analysis using qPCR and reporter assays.
- Investigating microRNA-mediated gene regulation.
Main Results:
- se-1 mutants exhibit extra floral organs and enlarged SAMs, and restore FM activity in stm mutants.
- SE represses KNAT2 expression via miR171c-5p, inhibiting STM-activated IPT7 (cytokinin biosynthesis).
- SE also represses IPT7 through the miR164c-CUC1/2-KNAT2 module.
- Restored cytokinin signaling in se stm double mutants rescues carpel formation.
Conclusions:
- SE antagonistically regulates STM in FM maintenance.
- The interplay between SE and STM ensures proper carpel development in Arabidopsis.
- SE acts as a repressor of cytokinin biosynthesis, influencing floral organogenesis.
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