CLAVATA2, A REGULATOR OF MERISTEM AND ORGAN DEVELOPMENT IN ARABIDOPSIS

Mutations at the CLAVATA2 (CLV2) locus of Arabidopsis result in enlarg ed shoot and flower meristems, as well as alterations in the developme nt of the gynoecia, flower pedicels, and stamens. The shoot and flower meristem phenotypes of clv2 mutants are similar to weak clv1 and clv3 mutants. We present genetic analysis that CLV2 may function in the sa me pathway as CLV1 and CLV3 in the regulation of meristem development, but function separately in the regulation of organ development. We al so present evidence that clv2 phenotypes are altered when the mutants are grown under short-day light conditions, These alterations include flower-to-shoot transformations, as well as a nearly complete suppress ion of the flower phenotypes, indicating that the requirement for CLV2 changes in response to different physiological conditions. The stm-l mutation dominantly suppresses clv2, and clv2 mutations suppress the s trong stm-1 allele, but not the weak stm-2 allele.