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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Plant Gene Expression Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #366346
Research Project: Developmental and Environmental Signaling Pathways Regulating Plant Architecture

Location: Plant Gene Expression Center

Title: Genotypic and phenotypic analysis of shoot apical and floral meristem development

Author
item MONFARED, MONA - University Of California
item DAO, THAI - University Of California
item HAGE, WASSIM - University Of California
item Fletcher, Jennifer

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/2/2019
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: This book is an essential practical guide for plant developmental biologists in which expert researchers in the field describe protocols for state-of-the-art experimental approaches used to study the formation of flowers. These protocols range from genetic methods and phenotypic analyses to genome-wide experiments, modeling, and system-wide approaches. Our chapter consists of an introduction to shoot and floral meristem biology, lists of the necessary materials and reagents for meristem experiments, step-by-step laboratory protocols, key troubleshooting tips, and figures illustrating the types of data generated. This chapter is for a new, second edition of the book and has been revised to contain the latest updated protocols as well as fresh data images.

Technical Abstract: The shoot apical and floral meristems (SAM and FM, respectively) of Arabidopsis thaliana contain reservoirs of self-renewing stem cells that function as sources of progenitor cells for organ formation during development. The primary SAM produces all of the aerial structures of the adult plant, whereas the FMs generate the four types of floral organs. Consequently, aberrant SAM and FM activity can profoundly affect vegetative and reproductive plant morphology. The embedded location and small size of Arabidopsis meristems make accessing these structures difficult, so specialized techniques have been developed to facilitate their analysis. Microscopic, histological and molecular techniques provide both qualitative and quantitative data on meristem organization and function, which are crucial for the normal growth and development of the entire plant.