Genetic control of floral architecture. Different flowers have different designs, and so the design must ultimately be controlled by genes. We have identified a gene that keeps sepals separate, and promotes the initiation of petals. We think it does this by a novel growth suppression mechanism, and will now deduce its molecular and cellular basis. This will help maintain Australia's strength in fundamental plant biology. Also, by understanding how sepals and petals arise in a model laboratory sp ....Genetic control of floral architecture. Different flowers have different designs, and so the design must ultimately be controlled by genes. We have identified a gene that keeps sepals separate, and promotes the initiation of petals. We think it does this by a novel growth suppression mechanism, and will now deduce its molecular and cellular basis. This will help maintain Australia's strength in fundamental plant biology. Also, by understanding how sepals and petals arise in a model laboratory species, we can generalise for many species, including economic plants. Thus it may be possible to make designer crops through targeted genetic changes to their floral structure.Read moreRead less
Control of plant organ development by the PETAL LOSS gene of Arabidopsis. We have discovered a new gene in the model laboratory plant Arabidopsis thaliana that is involved in sepal and petal development. It encodes a transcription factor that apparently acts by repressing growth in the inter-sepal zone of flowers where petals arise. We now aim to determine how this growth suppression occurs, and whether it extends to leaves where the gene is also expressed. Control of the initiation and sculptur ....Control of plant organ development by the PETAL LOSS gene of Arabidopsis. We have discovered a new gene in the model laboratory plant Arabidopsis thaliana that is involved in sepal and petal development. It encodes a transcription factor that apparently acts by repressing growth in the inter-sepal zone of flowers where petals arise. We now aim to determine how this growth suppression occurs, and whether it extends to leaves where the gene is also expressed. Control of the initiation and sculpturing of plant organs by site-specific inhibition of growth is a newly discovered mechanism that may be useful in manipulating plant architecture.Read moreRead less
Understanding how auxin and dorsoventral patterning are coordinated in plants. This study will help reveal for the first time how the outgrowth of leaves, flowers and floral organs is coordinated by tissue patterning genes and the plant growth hormone auxin. All plants grow in this way, and our findings, made using a model laboratory plant, will be applicable to crop species as well. Thus we will both expand our core knowledge of how multicellular organisms are constructed, and also generate pos ....Understanding how auxin and dorsoventral patterning are coordinated in plants. This study will help reveal for the first time how the outgrowth of leaves, flowers and floral organs is coordinated by tissue patterning genes and the plant growth hormone auxin. All plants grow in this way, and our findings, made using a model laboratory plant, will be applicable to crop species as well. Thus we will both expand our core knowledge of how multicellular organisms are constructed, and also generate possibilities for modifying the patterns of leaf and flower development in agricultural and horticultural species. Crops with larger leaves, or flowers of different structure, may result.Read moreRead less
Analysis of the signals that specify floral organ position. Flowers develop with a regular structure composed of distinct whorls of different floral organs in defined positions, but the factors that regulate this complex pattern are not well understood. This project uses the model plant Arabidopsis to study aspects of floral patterning. It will further investigate the molecular role of a gene that is a key regulator of petal initiation, and identify and characterise additional genes that regulat ....Analysis of the signals that specify floral organ position. Flowers develop with a regular structure composed of distinct whorls of different floral organs in defined positions, but the factors that regulate this complex pattern are not well understood. This project uses the model plant Arabidopsis to study aspects of floral patterning. It will further investigate the molecular role of a gene that is a key regulator of petal initiation, and identify and characterise additional genes that regulate the underlying pattern of flowers. This work will ultimately lead to a greater understanding of the processes of flower development, and the ability to control these events in defined ways.Read moreRead less
Genetic control of plant organ growth. Plants organs, such as leaves and petals, have a distinct size and shape reflecting differences in growth. Despite its importance, very little is known about the mechanisms that regulate growth. The objectives of this proposal are a) to test whether organ growth depends on cell-cell signalling and b) to identifying genes that regulate growth, and to characterize their molecular function.
Manipulation of transcription factors that control plant architecture. This project will provide fundamental knowledge about how plant body plans are constructed and elaborated. In particular this proposal could influence agriculture in two manners. First, we will examine the ability to control infestations of parasitic plants in the field using the expression of small RNA molecules and second, we will determine whether manipulation of expression of specific transcription factors can alter the ....Manipulation of transcription factors that control plant architecture. This project will provide fundamental knowledge about how plant body plans are constructed and elaborated. In particular this proposal could influence agriculture in two manners. First, we will examine the ability to control infestations of parasitic plants in the field using the expression of small RNA molecules and second, we will determine whether manipulation of expression of specific transcription factors can alter the characteristics of secondary growth plants.Read moreRead less