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SUMMARY:Hormonal control of shoot branching - Professor Ottoline Leyser\, 
 University of York
DTSTART:20061123T160000Z
DTEND:20061123T170000Z
UID:TALK5289@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:3901
DESCRIPTION:A unique feature of plant development is the ability to alter 
 body plan in response to environmental conditions. The primary body axis o
 f plants is laid down during embryogenesis with the establishment of the\n
 shoot apical meristem at one end and a root apical meristem at the other. 
 Post-embryonically\, the meristems elaborate this basic axis\, but in addi
 tion secondary meristems arise in both the root and shoot\, which give ris
 e to new axes of growth- lateral branches. It is this ability to produce l
 ateral branches that gives plants their spectacular\nplasticity of form. A
 s a model for understanding the role of plant hormones in plant developmen
 tal plasticity\, we are investigating the hormonal control of shoot branch
 ing. We are focusing on two hormones\nthat inhibit branching-auxin\, which
  has been known to regulate branching for 80 years\; and a novel hormone\,
  which has not yet been chemically defined. In Arabidopsis\, the novel hor
 mone came to light through the analysis of mutants at 4 loci\, called MAX1
 -MAX4\, with increased shoot branching. These genes define an additional p
 athway that interacts with auxin to mediate branch inhibition. Grafting st
 udies have demonstrated that three of these loci are involved in the\nprod
 uction of a long-range graft transmissible signal that inhibits bud growth
 \, and this is consistent with the molecular identities of these genes. In
 terestingly\, both auxin and the novel hormone signal through\npathways in
 volving targeted protein degradation. Progress in understanding the modes 
 of action and interaction of these hormones in the control of shoot branch
 ing will be presented. \n\nhttp://www.york.ac.uk/depts/biol/staff/hmol.htm
LOCATION:Department of Plant Sciences\, Large Lecture Theatre
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