Molecular bases for phyllomorph development in a one-leaf plant, Monophyllaea glabra

Premise of the study: The aboveground part of one-leaf plants (Gesneriaceae) consists of a unique shoot-like unit called a phyllomorph, which is composed of a growing lamina and one petiolode (a stem- and petiole-like organ). The phyllomorph has three meristems: a basal meristem (BM; involved in lamina growth), a petiolode meristem (PM; required for midrib and petiolode growth), and a groove meristem (GM; contributes to inflorescence and new phyllomorph development). Although the GM has a tunica-corpus structure like a conventional shoot apical meristem (SAM), the vegetative GM of a one-leaf plant does not form any organ primordia and has been considered a defective or suppressed SAM. In this study, we evaluated the nature of the three meristems to reconsider their roles in phyllomorph development in the one-leaf species Monophyllaea glabra.

Methods: Mitotic activities of meristem cells were monitored by incorporation of a thymidine analog (EdU) into DNA. Orthologs of SHOOTMERISTEMLESS (STM) and PHANTASTICA, ROUGH SHEATH2, ASYMMETRIC LEAVES1 (PHAN/RS2/AS1) were isolated from M. glabra, and their expression patterns were investigated by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in combination with a laser microdissection technique.

Key results: Mitotic activities were detected in all three phyllomorph meristems. Strong expression of the STM and PHAN/RS2/AS1 orthologs was detected in the vegetative GM and BM, respectively.

Conclusions: The vegetative GM is an active meristem that expresses the STM ortholog. We postulate that the GM is required for growth of a phyllomorph by providing undifferentiated cells and/or growth regulators to the BM and/or PM.