Artigo Revisado por pares

A Homoeotic Mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana with Leafy Cotyledons

1992; American Association for the Advancement of Science; Volume: 258; Issue: 5088 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1126/science.258.5088.1647

ISSN

1095-9203

Autores

David W. Meinke,

Tópico(s)

Plant tissue culture and regeneration

Resumo

Cotyledons are specialized leaves produced during plant embryogenesis. Cotyledons and leaves typically differ in morphology, ultrastructure, and patterns of gene expression. The leafy cotyledon ( lec ) mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana fails to maintain this distinction between embryonic and vegetative patterns of plant development. Mutant embryos are phenotypically abnormal, occasionally viviparous, and intolerant of desiccation. Mutant cotyledons produce trichomes characteristic of leaves, lack embryo-specific protein bodies, and exhibit a vascular pattern intermediate between that of leaves and cotyledons. These results suggest that lec cotyledons are partially transformed into leaves and that the wild-type gene ( LEC ) functions to activate a wide range of embryo-specific pathways in higher plants.

Referência(s)
Altmetric
PlumX