Skip to main content
ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Plant Gene Expression Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #152995
Title: THE INTERACTION OF TWO HOMEOBOX GENES, BREVIPEDICELLUS AND PENNYWISE, REGULATES INTERNODE PATTERNING IN THE ARABIDOPSIS INFLORESCENCE

Author
item SMITH, HARLEY - ARS-UCB PLNT GENE EXP CTR
item Hake, Sarah

Submitted to: The Plant Cell
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/3/2003
Publication Date: 8/15/2003
Citation: Smith, H.M., Hake, S.C. The Interaction of Two Homeobox Genex, BREVIPEDICELLUS and PENNYWISE, Regulates Internode Patterning in the Arabidopsis Inflorescence. The Pant Cell. 2003. 15:1717-27.

Interpretive Summary: Plant architecture results from the activity of the shoot apical meristem, which initiates leaves, internodes, and axillary meristems. KNOTTED1-like homeobox (KNOX) genes are expressed in specific patterns in the shoot apical meristem and play important roles in plant architecture. We identify a protein that interacts with KNOX proteins to regulate shoot architecture. The physical association of the PNY and BP proteins suggests that they participate in a complex that regulates early patterning events in the inflorescence meristem.

Technical Abstract: Plant architecture results from the activity of the shoot apical meristem, which initiates leaves, internodes, and axillary meristems. KNOTTED1-like homeobox (KNOX) genes are expressed in specific patterns in the shoot apical meristem and play important roles in plant architecture. KNOX proteins interact with BEL1-like (BELL) homeodomain proteins and together bind a target sequence with high affinity. We have obtained a mutation in one of the Arabidopsis BELL genes, PENNYWISE (PNY), that appears phenotypically similar to the KNOX mutant brevipedicellus (bp). Both bp and pny have randomly shorter internodes and display a slight increase in the number of axillary branches. The double mutant shows a synergistic phenotype of extremely short internodes interspersed with long internodes and increased branching. PNY is expressed in inflorescence and floral meristems and overlaps with BP in a discrete domain of the inflorescence meristem where we propose the internode is patterned. The physical association of the PNY and BP proteins suggests that they participate in a complex that regulates early patterning events in the inflorescence meristem.