The shoot apical meristem (SAM) of seed plants is the site at which lateral organs are formed. Once organ primordia initiate from the SAM, they establish polarity along the adaxial-abaxial, proximodistal and mediolateral axes. Among these three axes, the adaxial-abaxial polarity is of primary importance in leaf patterning. In leaf development, once the adaxial-abaxial axis is established within leaf primordia, it provides cues for proper lamina growth and asymmetric development. It was reported previously that the Arabidopsis ASYMMETRIC LEAVES1 (AS1) and ASYMMETRIC LEAVES2 (AS2) genes are two key regulators of leaf polarity. In this work, we demonstrate a new function of the AS1 and AS2genes in the establishment of adaxial-abaxial polarity by analyzing as1 and as2 alleles in the Landsberg erecta(Ler) genetic background. We provide genetic evidence that the Arabidopsis ERECTA (ER) gene is involved in the AS1-AS2 pathway to promote leaf adaxial fate. In addition, we show that AS1 and AS2 bind to each other, suggesting that AS1 and AS2 may form a complex that regulates the establishment of leaf polarity. We also report the effects on leaf polarity of overexpression of the AS1 or AS2genes under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus (CAMV) 35S promoter. Although plants with as1 and as2 mutations have very similar phenotypes, 35S::AS1/Ler and 35S::AS2/Lertransgenic plants showed dramatically different morphologies. A possible model of the AS1, AS2 and ER action in leaf polarity formation is discussed.
History of our journals
As our publisher, The Company of Biologists, turns 100 years old, read about Development’s journey and highlights from some its first issues, and explore the history of each of our sister journals: Journal of Cell Science, Journal of Experimental Biology, Disease Models & Mechanisms and Biology Open.
Call for papers – Lifelong Development: the Maintenance, Regeneration and Plasticity of Tissues
Development invites you to submit your latest research to our upcoming special issue – Lifelong Development: the Maintenance, Regeneration and Plasticity of Tissues. This issue will be coordinated by Guest Editors Meritxell Huch (Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Germany) and Mansi Srivastava (Harvard University and Museum of Comparative Zoology, USA), working alongside our team of academic Editors. Submit your articles by 15 May 2025.
A case for broadening our view of mechanism in developmental biology
In this Perspective, B. Duygu Özpolat and colleagues survey researchers on their views on what it takes to infer mechanism in developmental biology. They examine what factors shape our idea of what we mean by ‘mechanism’ and suggest a path forward that embraces a broad outlook on the diversity of studies that advance knowledge in our field.
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