BIOL1002 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Monopteros, Auxin, Meristem
6 Nov 2018
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Document Summary
To identify genes involved in establishing the body axes, arabidopsis mutants with misshapen bodies were studied. The researchers focused on the development of the apical- basal axis. They found that a gene they called monopteros is critical in setting up the apical- basal axis. The monopteros gene codes for the monopteros protein, a transcription factor. The monopteros gene is activated by signals from auxin (monopteros is also known as auxin response factor 5; arf5). Auxin is a plant hormone produced in the shoot apical meristem, and creates polar concentration gradient along the apical-basal axis of a plant to provide positional information. The auxin signal is part of a regulatory cascade that triggers production of monopteros and other regulatory transcription factors specific to cells in the developing hypocotyl and roots, setting up the apical-basal axis. Once embryonic development is complete, further plant body development is driven by the meristems.
