Waksman Institute of Microbiology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8020, USA.
J Exp Bot. 2013 Jun;64(9):2593-608. doi: 10.1093/jxb/ert141.
The variety of plant architectures observed in nature is predominantly determined by vegetative and reproductive branching patterns, the positioning of lateral organs, and differential stem elongation. Branches, lateral organs, and stems are the final products of the activity of meristems, groups of stem cells whose function is genetically determined and environmentally influenced. Several decades of studies in different plant species have shed light on the essential role of the hormone auxin in plant growth and development. Auxin influences stem elongation and regulates the formation, activity, and fate of meristems, and has therefore been recognized as a major hormone shaping plant architecture. Increasing our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms that regulate auxin function is necessary to understand how different plant species integrate a genetically determined developmental programme, the establishment of a body plan, with constant inputs from the surrounding environment. This information will allow us to develop the molecular tools needed to modify plant architecture in several crop species and in rapidly changing environments.
自然界中观察到的植物结构多样性主要取决于营养和生殖分枝模式、侧生器官的位置以及茎的差异伸长。分枝、侧生器官和茎是分生组织活动的最终产物，分生组织是干细胞的群体，其功能是由遗传决定和环境影响的。在不同的植物物种中进行的几十年研究揭示了激素生长素在植物生长和发育中的重要作用。生长素影响茎的伸长，并调节分生组织的形成、活性和命运，因此被认为是塑造植物结构的主要激素。增加我们对调节生长素功能的分子机制的了解，对于理解不同植物物种如何将遗传决定的发育计划、身体计划与周围环境的不断输入整合在一起是必要的。这些信息将使我们能够开发出在几种作物物种和快速变化的环境中修改植物结构所需的分子工具。
