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Title: The Maize MID-COMPLEMENTING ACTIVITY homolog CELL NUMBER REGULATOR13/NARROW ODD DWARF, coordinates organ growth and tissue patterning

Author
item ROSA, MARISA - University Of California
item ABRAHAM, JAZMIN - University Of California
item LEWIS, MICHAEL - University Of California
item TIAN, WANG - University Of California
item RAMIREZ, VICTOR - University Of California
item LUAN, SHENG - University Of California
item PAULY, MARKUS - University Of California
item Hake, Sarah

Submitted to: The Plant Cell
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/27/2017
Publication Date: 3/2/2017
Citation: Rosa, M., Abraham, J., Lewis, M., Tian, W., Ramirez, V., Luan, S., Pauly, M., Hake, S.C. 2017. The Maize MID-COMPLEMENTING ACTIVITY homolog CELL NUMBER REGULATOR13/NARROW ODD DWARF, coordinates organ growth and tissue patterning. The Plant Cell. 29(3):474-490.

Interpretive Summary: Organogenesis results from the activities of cell division, expansion and differentiation. How these processes are coordinated, and influenced by intrinsic and extrinsic cues, is not fully understood. We identified the narrow odd dwarf (nod) mutant, which has pleiotropic phenotypes that affect vegetative and reproductive development. We identified the gene and found it encodes the maize homolog of MCA, a protein implicated in calcium signaling. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that multiple genetic pathways contribute to the pleiotropy of the nod phenotype, including leaf patterning factors and gibberellin biosynthesis. Interestingly, nod mutants also appear to have a constitutive upregulation of pathogen response pathways. Analysis of NOD will contribute to our understanding of how growth is coordinated in response to developmental (intrinsic) and environmental (extrinsic) cues.

Technical Abstract: Organogenesis occurs from cell division, expansion and differentiation. How these cellular processes are coordinated remains elusive. The maize leaf provides an excellent system to study cellular differentiation because it has several different tissues and cell types. The narrow odd dwarf (nod) mutant displays defects in both cellular and tissue level that increase in severity throughout growth. nod mutant leaves have reduced size due to fewer and smaller cells. Juvenile-to-adult transition is delayed and proximal distal-patterning is abnormal. Differentiation of specialized cells such as those forming stomata and trichomes is incomplete. We cloned nod positionally and found that it encodes CELL NUMBER REGULATOR 13 (CNR13), the maize MID-COMPLEMENTING ACTIVITY (MCA) ortholog. NOD is localized to the membrane and enriched in dividing tissues. Transcriptome analysis found overrepresentation of cell wall, hormone metabolism and defense gene categories. We propose that NOD coordinates cell activity in response to intrinsic and extrinsic cues.