CELL-DEATH MECHANISMS IN MAIZE

Development and differentiation in plants requires that specific cells be eliminated by cell-death mechanisms. Structural and ultrastructura l observations demonstrate that cells or groups of cells in numerous m aize tissues undergo cell death at predictable times. A vast collectio n of maize mutants exists, and many of these mutants show phenotypes t hat suggest aberrant cell-death mechanisms. The agent responsible for these mutations is often a characterized transposable element, making it possible to isolate the genes involved using transposon-tagging str ategies. Thus, maize is developing into an excellent model system for the study of cell-death mechanisms in plants.