GENE-TRAP LINES IDENTIFY GENES EXPRESSED IN SPECIFIC DOMAINS OF THE ARABIDOPSIS ROOT

Regulatory networks governing root cell differentiation, root growth and meristem size act in a tissue- or cell type-dependent manner. The relatively simple structure and the stereotyped development of the Arabidopsis root makes it a most suitable system for investigating plant developmental processes at the cellular level. We employed a large-scale gene trap (GT) screen to identify genes whose expression was restricted to specific domains of the Arabidopsis root, with the aim of resolving molecular and biochemical processes occurring in individual cell types. Expression patterns of the GUS reporter gene was established in approximately 20,000 GT lines. Several lines showing distinct reporter activity in roots were selected for further analyses. Data will be presented illustrating i) the spatial and developmental profiles of GUS expression, ii) the identification of the genomic loci tagged by the GT element and, iii) the response of the tagged genes to exogenous applications of different growth regulators. The gene trap lines isolated in the screen provide additional marker lines to study pathways that are unique to specific root sub-domains, and a precious source of tissue- or cell-specific regulatory regions. This work was supported by MIUR PRIN project (2010-2011 prot. 2010HEBBB8_006).