Expression of CDC2Zm and KNOTTED1 during in-vitro axillary shoot meristem proliferation and adventitious shoot meristem formation in maize (Zea mays L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

Expression of CDC2Zm and KNOTTED1 (KN1) in maize (Zea mays L.) and their cross-reacting proteins in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) was studied using immunolocalization during in-vitro axillary shoot meristem proliferation and adventitious shoot meristem formation. Expression of CDC2Zm, a protein involved in cell division, roughly correlated with in-vitro cell proliferation and in the meristematic domes CDC2Zm expression was triggered during in-vitro proliferation. Analysis of the expression of KN1, a protein necessary for maintenance of the shoot meristem, showed that KN1 or KN1-homologue(s) expression was retained in meristematic cells during in-vitro proliferation of axillary shoot meristems. Multiple adventitious shoot meristems appeared to form directly from the KN1- or KN1 homologue(s)-expressing meristematic cells in the in-vitro proliferating meristematic domes. However, unlike Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) leaves ectopically expressing KN1 (G. Chuck et al., 1996 Plant Cell 8: 1277–1289; N. Sinha et al., 1993 Genes Dev. 7: 787–797), transgenic maize leaves over-expressing KN1 were unable to initiate adventitious shoot meristems on their surfaces either in planta or in vitro. Therefore, expression of KN1 is not the sole triggering factor responsible for inducing adventitious shoot meristem formation from in-vitro proliferating axillary shoot meristems in maize. Our results show that genes critical to cell division and plant development have utility in defining in-vitro plant morphogenesis at the molecular level and, in combination with transformation technologies, will be powerful tools in identifying the fundamental molecular and-or genetic triggering factor(s) responsible for reprogramming of plant cells during plant morphogenesis in-vitro. Received: 2 June 1997 / Accepted: 21 July 1997