MicroRNA regulation of axial patterning during Arabidopsis embryogenesis

Pattern formation is the process by which undifferentiated cells divide and differentiate to generate complex tissues and organs. In plants, pattern formation begins in embryogenesis and continues post-embryonically with the function of the meristems. microRNAs (miRNAs), which are small regulatory RNAs that repress gene expression, are involved in a variety of patterning processes in plants, including the formation and function of the meristems and establishment of polarity. For example, regulation of the class III HOMEODOMAIN-LEUCINE ZIPPER (HD-ZIP III) transcription factors by miR165/6 is not only involved in the formation and function of the meristems, but also in polarity establishment in the leaf, and in axial patterning during embryogenesis. To gain a better understanding of the role of miRNAs in embryonic patterning, I investigated the tissue-specific functions of the miRNA biogenesis protein SERRATE (SE), which is required for the regulation of the HD-ZIP IIIs via miR165/6. By expressing SE in various domains in se-5 null mutant embryos, I revealed that although SE is expressed throughout the embryonic body, tissue-specific expression of SE from either the upper or lower tier of the embryo is sufficient for correct patterning. This observation suggests a SE-dependent non-cell autonomous and bi-directional mechanism that influences patterning in Arabidopsis embryos. Furthermore, through a suppressor screen of a se-3 loss-of-function mutant allele, I identified mutants in genes that likely function upstream of SE, and downstream or in parallel of the HD-ZIP IIIs. One of those se-3 suppressors is likely to be a mutant in the BELL homeobox gene POUND-FOOLISH (PNF).This thesis is not currently available on ORA