Why don’t mosses flower?

Theißen, Günter; Münster, Thomas; Henschel, Katrin

doi:10.1046/j.1469-8137.2001.00089.x

Cited by 40 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…All major biological processes in Physcomitrella are similar to those in flowering plants despite 450 million years of divergent evolution (Theissen et al 2001). However, due to the former's relatively simple body plan and well-defined physiological reactions, many biological questions can be answered in a more straightforward manner using Physcomitrella rather than with flowering plants as the experimental system.…”

Section: Physcomitrella As a Model Systemmentioning

confidence: 98%

A tool for understanding homologous recombination in plants

Hohe

Reski

2003

Plant Cell Reports

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Attempts for establishing an efficient gene targeting (GT) system in seed plants have hitherto not been successful. In contrast, GT based on homologous recombination is highly efficient in Physcomitrella, making this moss a novel tool in reverse genetics. However, why homologous and illegitimate recombination are differently regulated between Physcomitrella and seed plants is still enigmatic. Here we update the state of the art of GT in Physcomitrella and discuss approaches to unravel this enigma. Identification of molecular factors significantly enhancing GT and their subsequent transfer to crop plants will have a great impact on plant biotechnology by enabling precise genetic engineering. Physcomitrella appears to be the most useful model system in this context.

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Section: Physcomitrella As a Model Systemmentioning

confidence: 98%

A tool for understanding homologous recombination in plants

Hohe

Reski

2003

Plant Cell Reports

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“…The phylogenetic basal position of Bryophytes among land plants places them in an ideal situation to address fundamental questions such as how have plants evolved from simple to complex forms (29). In this respect, functional analysis of the recently identified Physcomitrella gene homolog to key players in plant development such as the MADS (61) and homeobox genes (18,102) of higher plants may give us valuable information about the ancestral mechanisms that govern the development of land plants (121). One can predict that this is only the beginning.…”

Section: The Physcomitrella Patens Model Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

A NEWMOSSGENETICS: Targeted Mutagenesis inPhyscomitrella patens

Schaefer

2002

Annu. Rev. Plant Biol.

162

110

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s Abstract The potential of moss as a model system to study plant biology is associated with their relatively simple developmental pattern that nevertheless resembles the basic organization of the body plan of land plants, the direct access to cell-lineage analysis, their similar responses to plant growth factors and environmental stimuli as those observed in other land plants, and the dominance of the gametophyte in the life cycle that facilitates genetic approaches. Transformation studies in the moss Physcomitrella patens have revealed a totally unique feature for plants, i.e., that foreign DNA sequences integrate in the genome preferentially at targeted locations by homologous recombination, enabling for the first time in plants the application of the powerful molecular genetic approaches used routinely in bacteria, yeast, and since 1989, the mouse embryonic stem cells. This article reviews our current knowledge of Physcomitrella patens transformation and its unique suitability for functional genomic studies.

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“…They do not possess flowers, the organs for sexual reproduction of angiosperms. While mosses do contain homologs of some angiosperm (floral) homeotic genes, like KNOX (TF031) and MIKC-type MADS box (TF041), their function remains unclear (Theissen et al, 2001). On the other hand, NZZ, SAP, and ULT all play specific roles during development of flowers (Byzova et al, 1999;Schiefthaler et al, 1999;Carles et al, 2005) and are absent from P. patens.…”

Section: Tap Gene Family Annotationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We covered the whole evolutionary range from unicellular algae through bryophytes to angiosperms by including genomic-scale sequence data of the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana, the red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae, the green alga C. reinhardtii, the moss P. patens, the monocot rice, and the dicot Arabidopsis. The moss P. patens diverged from the ancestor of extant flowering plants at least 450 million years ago (Theissen et al, 2001;Hedges et al, 2004). It was chosen as an offset for this study because, in comparison with flowering plants, it might enable inference of the ancestral state of land plant transcriptional regulation.…”

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confidence: 99%

PlanTAPDB, a Phylogeny-Based Resource of Plant Transcription-Associated Proteins

et al. 2007

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Diversification of transcription-associated protein (TAP) families during land plant evolution is a key process yielding increased complexity of plant life. Understanding the evolutionary relationships between these genes is crucial to gain insight into plant evolution. We have determined a substantial set of TAPs that are focused on, but not limited to, land plants using PSI-BLAST searches and subsequent filtering and clustering steps. Phylogenies were created in an automated way using a combination of distance and maximum likelihood methods. Comparison of the data to previously published work confirmed their accuracy and usefulness for the majority of gene families. Evidence is presented that the flowering plant apical stem cell regulator WUSCHEL evolved from an ancestral homeobox gene that was already present after the water-to-land transition. The presence of distinct expanded gene families, such as COP1 and HIT in moss, is discussed within the evolutionary backdrop. Comparative analyses revealed that almost all angiosperm transcription factor families were already present in the earliest land plants, whereas many are missing among unicellular algae. A global analysis not only of transcription factors but also of transcriptional regulators and novel putative families is presented. A wealth of data about plant TAP families and all data accrued throughout their automated detection and analysis are made available via the PlanTAPDB Web interface. Evolutionary relationships of these genes are readily accessible to the nonexpert at a mouse-click. Initial analyses of selected gene families revealed that PlanTAPDB can easily be exerted for knowledge discovery. The coordinated expression control of the entirety of genes in a given cell determines its physiological state, morphology, and identity in the organism. Reprogramming the set of transcribed genes during development or physiological adaptation requires modulated activation and deactivation of regulatory factors. In eukaryotes, the transcription of protein-coding genes is controlled by complex networks of transcription-associated proteins (TAPs). Specific transcription factors (TFs) activate or repress transcription of their target genes by binding to cis-active elements. Further tran-scriptional regulators (TRs) include the following: (1) coactivators and corepressors, which bind and influence TFs; (2) general transcription initiation factors, which recognize core promoter elements and recruit components of the basal transcription machinery; and (3) chromatin remodeling factors, which affect the accessibility of DNA through histone modifications and DNA methylation. The modular nature of TFs, possessing DNA-binding and protein-protein interaction domains, facilitates the high diversity of transcrip-tional regulation. Changes in transcriptional regulation enhance complexity at the genetic level and thus can generate novel signal transduction pathways. Such changes, mediated by recombined complexes of regulatory proteins as well as by altered regulatory sequence...

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Why don’t mosses flower?

Cited by 40 publications

References 29 publications

A tool for understanding homologous recombination in plants

A tool for understanding homologous recombination in plants

A NEWMOSSGENETICS: Targeted Mutagenesis inPhyscomitrella patens

PlanTAPDB, a Phylogeny-Based Resource of Plant Transcription-Associated Proteins

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