Deciphering CLE Peptide Signaling Pathways in Sunflower
In all plants, post-embryonic development is defined within meristems, a tissue that consists of the stem cells required to maintain and regulate growth throughout a plant’s life. In every species studied to date, the size of the shoot meristem is regulated by the CLAVATA signaling pathway, primarily driven by the peptide ligand CLAVATA3, a founding member of the CLE (CLV3/EMBRYO-SURROUNDING REGION-related) family of small secreted peptide hormones. Much of what we know about the regulation of stem cell signaling in the shoot has been learned from studying the model system Arabidopsis thaliana. The primary goal of this work is to identify, define, and functionally characterize CLE-signaling pathways in domesticated sunflower. The sunflower family (Asteraceae) is the largest flowering plant family with ~23,000 species. Much of this family’s success has been attributed to the evolution of the capitulum, a condensed inflorescence that functions as a single flower. Understanding the genetic basis of inflorescence development in sunflower will be a first step in determining how highly conserved signaling pathways can give rise to such diverse morphological forms. This research may provide insight into the genetics underlying the evolution of the sunflower capitulum, a fascinating question that has been studied for hundreds of years! Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. |