Anisocotyly and Meristem Initiation in an Unorthodox Plant, Streptocarpus Rexii (Gesneriaceae)
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Planta (2007) 225:653–663 DOI 10.1007/s00425-006-0389-7 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Anisocotyly and meristem initiation in an unorthodox plant, Streptocarpus rexii (Gesneriaceae) RaVaella Mantegazza · Michael Möller · C. Jill Harrison · Simone Fior · Chiara De Luca · Alberto Spada Received: 26 April 2006 / Accepted: 22 August 2006 / Published online: 15 September 2006 © Springer-Verlag 2006 Abstract In common with most Old World Gesneria- ing post-embryonic development on the axis (the pet- ceae; Streptocarpus Lindl. shows anisocotylous growth, iolode) between the two cotyledons. The expression i.e., the continuous growth of one cotyledon after ger- pattern of SrSTM1 suggests a function in maintaining mination. Linked to this phenomenon is an unortho- cell division activity in the cotyledons before becoming dox behaviour of the shoot apical meristem (SAM) localized in the basal meristem, initially at the proximal that determines the growth pattern of acaulescent spe- ends of both cotyledons, later at the base of the contin- cies (subgenus Streptocarpus). In contrast caulescent uously growing macrocotyledon, and the groove meri- species develop a conventional central post-embryonic stem on the petiolode. The latter is equivalent to a SAM (mainly subgenus Streptocarpella). We used S. displaced SAM seemingly originating de novo under rexii Lindl. as a model to investigate anisocotyly and the inXuence of endogenous factors. Applied cytokinin meristem initiation in Streptocarpus by using histologi- retains SrSTM1expression in the small cotyledon, thus cal techniques and analyses of the expression pattern promoting isocotyly and re-establishment of a central of the meristematic marker SrSTM1 during ontogeny. post-embryonic SAM. Hormone-dependent delocal- In contrast to Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh., S. rexii ization of the process of meristem development could does not establish a SAM during embryogenesis, and underlie anisocotyly and the unorthodox SAM forma- the Wrst evidence of a SAM-like structure occurs dur- tion in Streptocarpus. Keywords Anisocotyly · Cytokinins · Groove meristem · Shoot apical meristem · SrSTM1 · Streptocarpus Electronic supplementary material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1007/s00425-006-0389-7 and is accessible for authorized users. Abbreviations BAP 6-Benzylaminopurine R. Mantegazza (&) · S. Fior · C. De Luca · A. Spada CLV CLAVATA Dipartimento di Biologia, Universita degli Studi di Milano, DAP Days after pollination Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy e-mail: [email protected] DAS Days after sowing DIG Digoxygenin M. Möller KNOX Class 1 knotted1-like homeobox genes Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20A Inverleith Row, RAM Root apical meristem Edinburgh, EH3 5LR Scotland, UK SAM Shoot apical meristem C. Jill Harrison SEM Scanning electron microscopy Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, SrSTM1 Streptocarpus rexii SHOOTMERISTEM- South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK LESS1 homologue A. Spada STM SHOOTMERISTEMLESS CNR, Istituto di BioWsica, Sede Milano, Italy WUS WUSCHEL 123 654 Planta (2007) 225:653–663 Introduction the growth of new phyllomorphs and inXorescences (Fig. 1; Jong 1970, 1978; Jong and Burtt 1975). Genetic understanding of the diverse plant develop- The unique morphology of Streptocarpus is intrinsi- mental pathways found in natural species is taught cally linked to the interplay of these three meristems. from few model plants conforming to a standard bau- They interact at the seedling stage already and are plan that have been analysed in great detail. They pro- responsible for the great vegetative diversity in the genus, vide the basis of our understanding of how plant resulting in species with a single leaf throughout the indi- diversity is genetically controlled, and serve as tem- vidual’s life (unifoliate), species producing several to plates to investigate “unusual” plant forms. One of numerous leaves arranged in a more or less irregular these unusual forms is found in certain Streptocarpus rosette (rosulate), besides “ordinary” caulescent species Lindl. species. They exhibit such an unorthodox bau- possessing a normal shoot apical meristem (SAM) and a plan to necessitate the introduction of new botanical branched stem system (Hilliard and Burtt 1971). terms to describe their unusual morphological features, To date two main pathways have been shown to such as anisocotyly, petiolode and phyllomorph (Jong aVect meristem establishment and maintenance in Ara- 1970). The unequal development of the two cotyledons bidopsis Heynh. and these are the KNOX pathway, and after germination (anisocotyly) is common to most the WUSCHEL/CLAVATA (WUS/CLV) pathway members of the Old World Gesneriaceae (Jong 1970; (Vollbrecht et al. 1991, 2000; Brand et al. 2000; Schoof Cronk and Möller 1997; Nishii et al. 2004) and likely et al. 2000). Previous work has shown that the KNOX constitutes the prerequisite condition for the develop- pathway is present in Streptocarpus, and that diVerent ment of the extraordinary growth forms of acaulescent patterns of KNOX expression and localization reXect, species of Streptocarpus (Hilliard and Burtt 1971; but do not cause the diVerences in form between spe- Rosenblum and Basile 1984; Möller and Cronk 2001). cies (Harrison et al. 2005). This evidence comes from Anisocotyly is thought to advantage the growth in typi- investigations on the expression of SSTM1, a SHOOT- cally extreme habitats of Streptocarpus in deep shade, MERISTEMLESS (STM) homologue of the KNOX thus to boost the production of photosynthetic tissue gene family (Harrison et al. 2005). STM-like genes are soon after germination from the endospermless seeds expressed in cells of the SAM but down regulated in (Burtt 1970). The vegetative plant body of acaulescent presumptive organ primordia, and they play a funda- Streptocarpus species consists of phyllomorphs. Each mental role among KNOX genes responsible for meri- phyllomorph is composed of a stem-like petiole, stem regulation (Long et al. 1996). Thus, STM-like termed petiolode, and a foliose component, the lamina genes can be used as meristematic markers. (Fig. 1). The development of the phyllomorph is con- In model plants the interaction of plant hormones with trolled by three meristems at the junction of the lamina KNOX genes has been shown to represent one of the and petiolode: (a) the basal meristem which provides key factors regulating the expression of genes required the growth of the lamina; (b) the petiolode meristem, for SAM formation and function (Rupp et al. 1999; Hay involved in the growth of the midrib and elongation of et al. 2004). In this respect, it is interesting to note the petiolode; (c) the groove meristem which provides Rosenblum and Basile (1984) who examined the eVect of Fig. 1 Diagrammatic repre- sentation of phyllomorphic organization in Streptocarpus, modiWed from Jong and Burtt (1975). a Cotyledonary phyllomorph. b Longitudinal section through a petiolode. ar adventitious root, bm basal meristem, gm groove meristem, l lamina, m midrib, pc procambium, pd petiolode, ph secondary phyllomorphs, pm petiolode meristem, vs vasculature 123 Planta (2007) 225:653–663 655 hormone application on the variation of growth forms in Scanning-electron microscopy (SEM) Streptocarpus. They claimed that exogenous hormones re-establish morphogenetic capacities previously thought Seedlings were Wxed in FAA (3.7% formaldehyde and to be “lost” in the rosulate and unifoliate species, such as 5% acetic acid in 50% ethanol) overnight at 4°C. The isocotyly and caulescence. In particular, cytokinins were Wxed material was subjected to dehydration in an etha- found capable of inducing phyllomorphic development nol series (75–90–95–100%), then critical point dried, of the normally non-accrescent microcotyledon, i.e., the mounted on stubs and coated with gold before obser- development of basal meristems in both cotyledons vation with a LEO 1430 scanning electron microscope (Rosenblum and Basile 1984; Nishii et al. 2004). It would (LEO Electron Microscopy, Thornwood, NY, USA). thus be interesting to investigate the interaction of cyto- kinin and SrSTM1 expression in the light of the hormone In situ hybridization eVect on the fate of the SAM. Here we aim to determine when and how the Digoxygenin-labeled (DIG) SrSTM1 RNA was gener- unusual growth patterns of Streptocarpus rexii during ated using an in vitro transcription kit (Roche Diagnos- its ontogeny arise. We describe the meristem initiation tics GmbH, Mannheim, Germany). and development during embryogenesis and seedling The highly variable 5Ј region of the SrSTM1 development by histological techniques and by analyz- sequence of Harrison et al. (2005) spanning from ing the expression of SrSTM1. Coupled with experi- amino acids 32 to 98 was used as a template and was ments with exogenously applied cytokinin our results ampliWed using primers 22NOT7P (CCATGATGATG will provide insights into the developmental processes ATGATGCCTGC) and 22T7P (TAATACGACTC leading to anisocotyly and the unconventional SAM ACTATAGGGGCATCTCCGTCTCCTTCCATG) for formation in Streptocarpus. the antisense probe and SENSF (TAATACGACTCAC TATAGGGCCATGATGATGATGATGCCTGC) and SENSR (GCATCTCCGTCTCCTTCCATG) for the Materials and methods sense probe. Hybridization and immunological detection were Plant material performed as described by Lopez-Dee et al. (1999) with minor modiWcations. The hybridization was car- Plants of S. rexii Lindl. (Gesneriaceae; Lindley 1828),