Leaf heteroblasty is the fascinating natural phenomenon by which plants produce different leaves as they grow and mature. This requires a complex interplay between cellular growth and time, and allows a single plant to manifest a diverse range of leaf shapes and sizes over its lifespan. In a recent paper in the journal Current Biology, scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne have now shed light on how this intricate process occurs during leaf development of the small mustard plant Arabidopsis thaliana. By studying the development of juvenile and adult leaves, they identified key differences in their cellular growth patterns, which they found were controlled by a SPL9-CYCD3 transcriptional module. These findings provide us with a deeper understanding of how the passing of time is encoded into organ growth and morphogenesis, and demonstrate the intricate tempo of plant growth and development. [more]

Researchers identify the genes controlling the mechanical structure of exploding seed pods [more]

The plant hormone cytokinin inhibits root cell growth [more]

Pflanzengenetiker ergründen die Entstehung der unterschiedlichen Blattformen auf der Erde [more]

Recent findings presented by Dr. Zhongjuan Zhang, Dr. Miltos Tsiantis and their colleagues offer important advances in our understanding of morphological diversity using plant leaves as an example [more]

Evolution can promote novelty by keeping gene expression in check [more]

Max Planck researchers equip the plant with pinnate leaves [more]

A recent study from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, published in the New Phytologist, helps resolve these issues by reporting new insights into the relationships among Brassicaceae species. [more]

Genome-wide association is a powerful tool to identify the molecular causes of trait diversity within species. In most association studies, genotyping single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) is regarded as sufficient. [more]

Scientists identify mechanism that controls leaf growth and shape [more]

The epidermal cells of many plant organs resemble the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle helping them withstand the high pressure in their interior [more]

A small piece of DNA with a large effect on leaf shape [more]

A high-quality genome sequence helps pinpoint the genetic basis for trait diversity.  [more]

Scientists discover how a common garden weed expels its seeds at record speeds. [more]

Pleiotropy influences the genes shaping leaf diversity [more]

Variation in leaf shapes within a plant species is caused by differences in how fast plants develop [more]

Science in the classroom is collection of annotated research papers and accompanying teaching materials [more]

Arabidopsis thaliana lost the RCO gene over the course of evolution and thus forms simple leaves [more]