Regulation of phyllotaxis by polar auxin transport

Didier Reinhardt, Eva-Rachele Pesce, Pia Stieger, Therese Mandel, Kurt Baltensperger, Malcolm Bennett, Jan Traas, Jiří Friml and Cris Kuhlemeier ()
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Didier Reinhardt: University of Bern
Eva-Rachele Pesce: University of Bern
Pia Stieger: University of Bern
Therese Mandel: University of Bern
Kurt Baltensperger: University of Bern
Malcolm Bennett: University of Nottingham
Jan Traas: INRA
Jiří Friml: Universität Tübingen
Cris Kuhlemeier: University of Bern

Nature, 2003, vol. 426, issue 6964, 255-260

Abstract: Abstract The regular arrangement of leaves around a plant's stem, called phyllotaxis, has for centuries attracted the attention of philosophers, mathematicians and natural scientists; however, to date, studies of phyllotaxis have been largely theoretical. Leaves and flowers are formed from the shoot apical meristem, triggered by the plant hormone auxin. Auxin is transported through plant tissues by specific cellular influx and efflux carrier proteins. Here we show that proteins involved in auxin transport regulate phyllotaxis. Our data indicate that auxin is transported upwards into the meristem through the epidermis and the outermost meristem cell layer. Existing leaf primordia act as sinks, redistributing auxin and creating its heterogeneous distribution in the meristem. Auxin accumulation occurs only at certain minimal distances from existing primordia, defining the position of future primordia. This model for phyllotaxis accounts for its reiterative nature, as well as its regularity and stability.

Date: 2003
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DOI: 10.1038/nature02081

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