A research group from Kyoto University, Kyoto University Graduate School, and Tokyo University Graduate School has concluded that the different shapes of petals and sepals, which are organs that have been transformed from leaves, are due to differences in the location of cell division. discovered.
Both the petals and the calyx are organs made by deformed leaves, but each has its own shape.The research group investigated what kind of "metamorphosis" from the leaves of the basic shape produces such a difference.
In general, the difference in the shape of an organ is said to be determined by the pattern of cell division that occurs during the making of that organ.The research group used the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana for experiments.When we examined the position and direction of cell division in the petals and calyx, we detected differences in the position and direction of cell division between the petals and the calyx, respectively.
Therefore, a mathematical simulation was conducted to investigate which of the position and direction determines the shape.By varying the position of cell division during the formation of petals and calyx, the final shape of the simulation varied greatly, yielding petal-like and calyx-like shapes. The effect of differences was limited.This revealed that the petal-like and calyx-like shapes are determined by the positioning of cell division during the formation of each organ.
It was also found that the positions of cell division when leaves, sepals, and petals are formed correspond to the positions of the gene (AN3) previously discovered by the research group.
By applying this knowledge in the future, it may become possible to freely design the shapes of leaves and petals.It is also expected that the elucidation of the molecular mechanism that produces such differences in the location of cell division will advance.
Paper information:【Development】Position of meristems and the angles of the cell division plane regulate the uniqueness of lateral organ shape
