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Developmental biology is the study of the process by which animals and plants grow and develop. Developmental biology also encompasses the biology of regeneration, asexual reproduction, metamorphosis, and the growth and differentiation of stem cells in the adult organism.
Arabidopsis thaliana, the thale cress, mouse-ear cress or arabidopsis, is a small plant from the mustard family (Brassicaceae), native to Eurasia and Africa. Commonly found along the shoulders of roads and in disturbed land, it is generally considered a weed.
The meristem is a type of tissue found in plants. It consists of undifferentiated cells capable of cell division. Cells in the meristem can develop into all the other tissues and organs that occur in plants. These cells continue to divide until a time when they get differentiated and then lose the ability to divide.
In evolutionary developmental biology, homeosis is the transformation of one organ into another, arising from mutation in or misexpression of certain developmentally critical genes, specifically homeotic genes. In animals, these developmental genes specifically control the development of organs on their anteroposterior axis. In plants, however, the developmental genes affected by homeosis may control anything from the development of a stamen or petals to the development of chlorophyll. Homeosis may be caused by mutations in Hox genes, found in animals, or others such as the MADS-box family in plants. Homeosis is a characteristic that has helped insects become as successful and diverse as they are.
Florigens are proteins capable of inducing flowering time in angiosperms. The prototypical florigen is encoded by the FT gene and its orthologs in Arabidopsis and other plants. Florigens are produced in the leaves, and act in the shoot apical meristem of buds and growing tips.
The ABC model of flower development is a scientific model of the process by which flowering plants produce a pattern of gene expression in meristems that leads to the appearance of an organ oriented towards sexual reproduction, a flower. There are three physiological developments that must occur in order for this to take place: firstly, the plant must pass from sexual immaturity into a sexually mature state ; secondly, the transformation of the apical meristem's function from a vegetative meristem into a floral meristem or inflorescence; and finally the growth of the flower's individual organs. The latter phase has been modelled using the ABC model, which aims to describe the biological basis of the process from the perspective of molecular and developmental genetics.
A primordium in embryology, is an organ or tissue in its earliest recognizable stage of development. Cells of the primordium are called primordial cells. A primordium is the simplest set of cells capable of triggering growth of the would-be organ and the initial foundation from which an organ is able to grow. In flowering plants, a floral primordium gives rise to a flower.
The MADS box is a conserved sequence motif. The genes which contain this motif are called the MADS-box gene family. The MADS box encodes the DNA-binding MADS domain. The MADS domain binds to DNA sequences of high similarity to the motif CC[A/T]6GG termed the CArG-box. MADS-domain proteins are generally transcription factors. The length of the MADS-box reported by various researchers varies somewhat, but typical lengths are in the range of 168 to 180 base pairs, i.e. the encoded MADS domain has a length of 56 to 60 amino acids. There is evidence that the MADS domain evolved from a sequence stretch of a type II topoisomerase in a common ancestor of all extant eukaryotes.
Superman is a plant gene in Arabidopsis thaliana, that plays a role in controlling the boundary between stamen and carpel development in a flower. It is named for the comic book character Superman, and the related genes kryptonite (gene) and clark kent were named accordingly. It encodes a transcription factor. Homologous genes are known in the petunia and snapdragon, which are also involved in flower development, although in both cases there are important differences from the functioning in Arabidopsis. Superman is expressed early on in flower development, in the stamen whorl adjacent to the carpel whorl. It interacts with the other genes of the ABC model of flower development in a variety of ways.
Apetala 2(AP2) is a gene and a member of a large family of transcription factors, the AP2/EREBP family. In Arabidopsis thaliana AP2 plays a role in the ABC model of flower development. It was originally thought that this family of proteins was plant-specific; however, recent studies have shown that apicomplexans, including the causative agent of malaria, Plasmodium falciparum encode a related set of transcription factors, called the ApiAP2 family.
Evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) is the study of developmental programs and patterns from an evolutionary perspective. It seeks to understand the various influences shaping the form and nature of life on the planet. Evo-devo arose as a separate branch of science rather recently. An early sign of this occurred in 1999.
Paired-like homeodomain transcription factor 2 also known as pituitary homeobox 2 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the PITX2 gene.
"Double-flowered" describes varieties of flowers with extra petals, often containing flowers within flowers. The double-flowered trait is often noted alongside the scientific name with the abbreviation fl. pl.. The first abnormality to be documented in flowers, double flowers are popular varieties of many commercial flower types, including roses, camellias and carnations. In some double-flowered varieties all of the reproductive organs are converted to petals — as a result, they are sexually sterile and must be propagated through cuttings. Many double-flowered plants have little wildlife value as access to the nectaries is typically blocked by the mutation.
Homeobox protein GBX-2 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the GBX2 gene.
Homeotic genes are genes which regulate the development of anatomical structures in various organisms such as echinoderms, insects, mammals, and plants. Homeotic genes often encode transcription factor proteins, and these proteins affect development by regulating downstream gene networks involved in body patterning.
LEAFY is a plant gene that causes groups of undifferentiated cells called meristems to develop into flowers instead of leaves with associated shoots.
Detlef Weigel is a German American scientist working at the interface of developmental and evolutionary biology.
Arabidopsis thaliana is a first class model organism and the single most important species for fundamental research in plant molecular genetics.
CLE peptides are a group of peptides found in plants that are involved with cell signaling. Production is controlled by the CLE genes. Upon binding to a CLE peptide receptor in another cell, a chain reaction of events occurs, which can lead to various physiological and developmental processes. This signaling pathway is conserved in diverse land plants.
Not to be confused with Rosemary Carpenter Fitzgerald.
References
- ↑ Gómez-Mena, Concepción; Folter, Stefan de; Costa, Maria Manuela R.; Angenent, Gerco C.; Sablowski, Robert (2005-02-01). "Transcriptional program controlled by the floral homeotic gene AGAMOUS during early organogenesis". Development. 132 (3): 429–438. doi: 10.1242/dev.01600 . ISSN 0950-1991. PMID 15634696.
- Bowman JL, Smyth DR, Meyerowitz EM (May 1991). "Genetic interactions among floral homeotic genes of Arabidopsis". Development. 112 (1): 1–20. doi:10.1242/dev.112.1.1. PMID 1685111.
- Bowman JL, Drews GN, Meyerowitz EM (August 1991). "Expression of the Arabidopsis floral homeotic gene AGAMOUS is restricted to specific cell types late in flower development". Plant Cell. 3 (8): 749–58. doi:10.1105/tpc.3.8.749. PMC 160042 . PMID 1726485.
- Drews GN, Bowman JL, Meyerowitz EM (June 1991). "Negative regulation of the Arabidopsis homeotic gene AGAMOUS by the APETALA2 product". Cell. 65 (6): 991–1002. doi:10.1016/0092-8674(91)90551-9. PMID 1675158. S2CID 41241924.
- Yanofsky MF, Ma H, Bowman JL, Drews GN, Feldmann KA, Meyerowitz EM (July 1990). "The protein encoded by the Arabidopsis homeotic gene agamous resembles transcription factors". Nature. 346 (6279): 35–9. Bibcode:1990Natur.346...35Y. doi:10.1038/346035a0. PMID 1973265. S2CID 4323431.
