GENETICS OF ANGIOSPERM SHOOT APICAL MERISTEM DEVELOPMENT

Recent progress has been made in the genetic dissection of angiosperm shoot apical meristem (SAM) structure and function. Genes required for proper SAM development have been identified in a variety of species t hrough the isolation of mutants. In addition, genes with expression pa tterns indicating they play a role in SAM function have been identifie d molecularly. The processes of SAM formation, self-renewal, and patte rn formation within the SAM are examined with an emphasis on the contr ibutions of recent classical and molecular genetic experiments to our understanding of this basic problem in plant developmental biology.