Abstract
Leaf venation pattern is determined when the provascular prepro/procambium is formed during the leaf primordium development. However, the molecular mechanisms as to how undifferentiated cells acquire the cell fate to be the prepro/procambium and how polarized provascular development is established are still largely unknown. To understand the mechanisms of leaf-venation patterning, we have isolated and analyzed Arabidopsis mutants defective in formation of leaf veins. NO VEIN (NOV) and VASCULAR HYPERPLASIA (VAH) genes were necessary for formation of the normal leaf-venation pattern. NOV and VAH are required for formation of the normal prepro/procambial pattern in leaves. It has recently been shown that NOV mediates auxin-dependent cell specification and patterning in the Arabidopsis embryo, shoot and root (Tsugeki et al., Plant Cell, 2009). Further analyses on roles of NOV and VAH in vascular development will be presented.
