Identification and characterization of petiolule-like pulvinus mutants with abolished nyctinastic leaf movement in the model legume Medicago truncatula.

ABSTRACT: Leaves of many plant species open during the day and fold at night. Diurnal leaf movement, named nyctinasty, has been of great interest to researchers since Darwin's time. Nyctinastic leaf movement is generated by the pulvinus, which is a specialized motor organ located at the base of leaf and leaflet. The molecular basis and functional reason behind nyctinasty are unknown. In a forward screening of a retrotransposon-tagged mutant population of Medicago truncatula, four petiolule-like pulvinus (plp) mutant lines with defects in leaf movement were identified and characterized. Loss of function of PLP results in the change of pulvini to petiolules. PLP is specifically expressed in the pulvinus, as demonstrated by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis, expressi

SUBMITTER: Zhou C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3504090 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature