Abstract
Leaves of higher plants show diverse and complex patterns of leaf venation. Each species has its own characteristic vein pattern. Arabidopsis leaves have brochidodromous venation pattern. One primary vein without bifurcation runs through the middle of each leaf and secondary veins connect together in the lateral region of leaves. Tertiary and higher order veins bridge lower order veins, creating reticulate pattern.
To understand the mechanism of vein patterning, we have isolated Arabidopsis mutants defective in leaf venation pattern. 621C-27 show bifurcated primary veins, secondary veins that fail to connect each other, and reduction of higher order veins. These suggest that 621C-27 gene is involved in vein patterning in Arabidopsis. Analysis of expression pattern of procambium marker AtHB8 and auxin-distribution-marker DR5 in 621C-27 and map-based cloning of 621C-27 gene are now in progress.
