Title:Axillary Meristem Development in Plants
Volume: 3
Issue: 1
Author(s): Cui Zhang*, Liya Liu, Siying Guo and Benyao Duan
Affiliation:
- Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Keywords:
Meristem, initiation, transcription factors, hormone, crop, yield.
Abstract: The shoot apical meristem of seed plants gives rise to the above-ground parts of the
plants during development, including leaves, stems, and lateral meristems. Among them, two types
of meristems, axillary meristem and vascular cambium, support the main lateral growth. In this review,
we will discuss the regulatory network of lateral growth, focusing on recent progress made
mainly in Arabidopsis thaliana, tomato and maize, including the identification of genes and their
roles in controlling lateral meristems. In addition, we will summarize the latest evidence about how
meristem affects yield-related traits, and discuss the strategies for modulating meristem regulatory
genes so as to increase crop yield in agriculture.