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Mutations in epidermis‐specific HD ‐ ZIP IV genes affect floral organ identity in A rabidopsis thaliana
Author(s) -
Kamata Naoko,
Okada Hitomi,
Komeda Yoshibumi,
Takahashi Taku
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the plant journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.058
H-Index - 269
eISSN - 1365-313X
pISSN - 0960-7412
DOI - 10.1111/tpj.12211
Subject(s) - biology , epidermis (zoology) , petal , arabidopsis thaliana , mutant , arabidopsis , meristem , homeobox , stamen , microbiology and biotechnology , transcription factor , gene , genetics , botany , anatomy , pollen
Summary Development of the epidermis involves members of the class– IV homeodomain‐leucine zipper ( HD ‐ ZIP IV ) transcription factors. The Arabidopsis HD ‐ ZIP IV family consists of 16 members, among which PROTODERMAL FACTOR 2 ( PDF 2 ) and ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA MERISTEM LAYER 1 ( ATML 1 ) play an indispensable role in the differentiation of shoot epidermal cells; however, the functions of other HD ‐ ZIP IV genes that are also expressed specifically in the shoot epidermis remain to be fully elucidated. We constructed double mutant combinations of these HD ‐ ZIP IV mutant alleles and found that the double mutants of pdf2 ‐ 1 with homeodomain glabrous1 ‐ 1 ( hdg1 ‐ 1 ), hdg2 ‐ 3 , hdg5 ‐ 1 and hdg12 ‐ 2 produced abnormal flowers with sepaloid petals and carpelloid stamens in association with the reduced expression of the petal and stamen identity gene APETALA 3 ( AP 3 ). Expression of another petal and stamen identity gene PISTILATA ( PI ) was less affected in these mutants. We confirmed that AP 3 expression in pdf2 ‐ 1 hdg2 ‐ 3 was normally induced at the initial stages of flower development, but was attenuated both in the epidermis and internal cell layers of developing flowers. As the expression of PDF 2 and these HD ‐ ZIP IV genes during floral organ formation is exclusively limited to the epidermal cell layer, these double mutations may have non‐cell‐autonomous effects on AP 3 expression in the internal cell layers. Our results suggest that cooperative functions of PDF 2 and other members of the HD ‐ ZIP IV family in the epidermis are crucial for normal development of floral organs in Arabidopsis.