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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Plant Gene Expression Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #393777
Research Project: Characterization of Plant Architectural Genes in Maize for Increased Productivity

Location: Plant Gene Expression Center

Title: The power of classic maize mutants: Driving forward our fundamental understanding of plants

Author
item RICHARDSON, ANNIS - University Of Edinburgh
item HAKE, SARAH - Retired ARS Employee

Submitted to: The Plant Cell
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/8/2022
Publication Date: 3/11/2022
Citation: Richardson, A., Hake, S. 2022. The power of classic maize mutants: Driving forward our fundamental understanding of plants. The Plant Cell. 34(7):2505-2517. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koac081.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koac081

Interpretive Summary: Maize has been at the forefront of genetics for over a decade. Many developmental genes were first identified in maize. This review covers the importance of morphological mutants in the history of maize genetics.

Technical Abstract: Since Mendel, maize has been a powerhouse of fundamental genetics research. From testing the Mendelian laws of inheritance, to the first genetic and cytogenetic maps, to the use of whole-genome sequencing data for crop improvement, maize is at the forefront of genetics advances. Underpinning much of this revolutionary work are the classic morphological mutants; the “freaks” that stood out in the field to even the untrained eye. Here we review some of these classic developmental mutants and their importance in the history of genetics, as well as their key role in our fundamental understanding of plant development.