Die Perzeption positionaler Information bei der Festlegung von Gründerzellen für Seitenorgane im Sprossapikalmeristem von Arabidopsis thaliana

• Antragsteller: Professor Dr. Wolfgang Werr
• Fachliche Zuordnung: Zell- und Entwicklungsbiologie der Pflanzen
• Förderung: Förderung von 2012 bis 2020
• Projektkennung: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 223136195

The Arabidopsis thaliana shoot apical meristem (SAM) is well characterised in terms of stem cell ho-meostasis in the central zone. However, less is known about how cells at the periphery acquire new fates and dependent on positional information are specified as lateral organ founder cells (LOFCs). Directional auxin transport and auxin perception maxima correlate with organ initiation, but expression of the DORNRÖSCHEN-LIKE (DRNL) transcription factor precedes organ initiation and auxin re-sponse maxima in the Arabidopsis inflorescence and floral meristem. In the early floral primordium, the number of DRNL-positive cells correlates with established numbers of floral organ founder cells. The DRNL promoter thus provides a unique tool to address the perception of positional information at the SAM periphery. The goal of this proposal is to use this novel tool and to identify enhancer ele-ments in the DRNL promoter that control activity in LOFCs and via cis-regulatory elements, to gain access to the trans-acting transcription factors. This strategy will elucidate the underlying signals that provide positional information in the SAM, clarify the role of auxin or cytokinin signalling and can unbiasedly solve the open question how some cells at the SAM periphery but not others are recruited for new organs.

• DFG-Verfahren: Sachbeihilfen