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A gene fusion at a homeobox locus: alterations in leaf shape and implications for morphological evolution
J J Chen1, B J Janssen, A Williams
1Section of Plant Biology, University of California, Davis 95616, USA.
The Plant Cell
|August 1, 1997
Summary
A novel gene fusion in plants resulted in overexpression of a homeodomain protein, altering leaf morphology. This finding suggests gene fusions may drive the evolution of plant form.
Area of Science:
- Plant biology
- Developmental genetics
- Evolutionary biology
Background:
- Compound leaves in angiosperms are diverse and their evolutionary origins are debated.
- Knotted1-like homeobox (knox) genes are key regulators of plant development and leaf morphology.
- Overexpression of knox genes can induce significant changes in leaf structure, such as increased compounding.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of a spontaneously arisen gene fusion between a metabolic enzyme and a homeodomain protein.
- To determine if this gene fusion affects gene expression and plant morphology.
- To explore the potential contribution of such gene fusions to the evolution of plant form.
Main Methods:
- Characterization of a naturally occurring gene fusion event.
- Analysis of the expression levels of the fused gene product.
- Comparison of leaf morphology in plants with the gene fusion to transgenic plants overexpressing the homeodomain protein.
Main Results:
- A gene fusion between a metabolic enzyme and a homeodomain protein was identified.
- The fusion led to overexpression of the homeodomain protein.
- This overexpression resulted in altered leaf morphology, mimicking changes seen with transgenic knox gene overexpression.
Conclusions:
- Gene fusions, particularly those involving altered regulatory elements like promoters, can lead to significant changes in gene expression.
- These expression changes can manifest as altered plant morphology.
- Such gene fusion events may have played a role in the evolutionary diversification of plant structures.
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