Abstract
Stipule is a leaf-like appendage of leaf. To understand molecular mechanisms of the stipule development, mutants (#1148 and #216) of model legume Lotus japonicus were analyzed. Ternately divided compound leaf of wild-type plant in L. japonicus usually accompany two stipules, while leaves in the mutants lack the stipules and have more than three narrow or needle-like leaflets. Observations of transverse sections of the needle-like leaflets revealed that cells with adaxial identity are absent from the mutants, suggesting morphological similarity with phan mutant in Antirrhinum majus. We isolated two PHAN/AS1/RS2 homologs from L. japonicus genome. Results of analysis of the nucleotide sequences and the expression of the homologs will be shown, and whether either of homolog is a mutated gene in the mutants will be discussed.
