Abstract Detail

Development and Structure

Min, Ya [1], Yuan, Yaowu [2].

Breaking the Symmetry: Dorsal-Ventral Domain Establishment in the Floral Meristem in Mimulus.

Bilaterally symmetric flowers only exhibit one plane of symmetry along the dorsal-ventral (D-V) axis and is one of the most common floral forms. It is well known that differential organ elaboration along the D-V axis in many taxa is controlled by a developmental program dependent on the CYCLOIDEA (CYC) gene. However, what establishes the D-V domains at the earliest developmental stage and what activates the expression of CYC specifically in the dorsal domain remain unknown. We attempt to address these fundamental questions by employing a new developmental model system, Mimulus lewisii. We focus on two M. lewisii mutants with altered CYC expression patterns and will use multiple approaches to characterize the underlying molecular pathways upstream of CYC, including using genetic crosses to dissect the genetic relationships among the key regulatory genes and high resolution live imaging to reveal the spatiotemporal dynamics of gene expression patterns. Results from this project will not only be significant from a developmental perspective in understanding the symmetry breaking mechanism in the floral meristem, but also crucial for understanding the genetic bases underlying convergent evolution in floral forms.

1 - University of Connecticut, 75 N. Eagleville Rd., Storrs, CT, 06269, United States
2 - University Of Connecticut, Ecology And Evolutionary Biology, 75 N. Eagleville Rd., Unit 3043, Storrs, CT, 06269, United States

Keywords:
Mimulus
Symmetry
organ initiation.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Number: DS4002
Abstract ID:308
Candidate for Awards:None