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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Plant science's next top models

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Author(s):
Cesarino, Igor [1] ; Dello Ioio, Raffaele [2] ; Kirschner, Gwendolyn K. [3, 4] ; Ogden, Michael S. [5, 6] ; Picard, Kelsey L. [7] ; Rast-Somssich, I, Madlen ; Somssich, Marc [6]
Total Authors: 7
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biosci, Dept Bot, Rua Matao 277, BR-05508090 Sao Paulo - Brazil
[2] Univ Roma La Sapienza, Dipartimento Biol & Biotecnol, Rome - Italy
[3] Univ Bonn, Inst Crop Sci & Resource Conservat INRES, Div Crop Funct Genom, D-53113 Bonn - Germany
[4] King Abdullah Univ Sci & Technol KAUST, Biol & Environm Sci & Engn BESE, Thuwal 239556900 - Saudi Arabia
[5] Max Planck Inst Mol Plant Physiol, D-14476 Potsdam - Germany
[6] Univ Melbourne, Sch BioSci, Parkville, Vic 3010 - Australia
[7] Univ Tasmania, Sch Nat Sci, Hobart, Tas 7001 - Australia
Total Affiliations: 7
Document type: Review article
Source: ANNALS OF BOTANY; v. 126, n. 1, p. 1-23, JUN 29 2020.
Web of Science Citations: 4
Abstract

Background Model organisms are at the core of life science research. Notable examples include the mouse as a model for humans, baker's yeast for eukaryotic unicellular life and simple genetics, or the enterobacteria phage lambda in virology. Plant research was an exception to this rule, with researchers relying on a variety of non-model plants until the eventual adoption of Arabidopsis thaliana as primary plant model in the 1980s. This proved to be an unprecedented success, and several secondary plant models have since been established. Currently. we are experiencing another wave of expansion in the set of plant models. Scope Since the 2000s, new model plants have been established to study numerous aspects of plant biology, such as the evolution of land plants, grasses. invasive and parasitic plant life, adaptation to environmental challenges, and the development of morphological diversity. Concurrent with the establishment of new plant models, the advent of the `omics' era in biology has led to a resurgence of the more complex non-model plants. With this review, we introduce some of the new and fascinating plant models, outline why they are interesting subjects to study, the questions they will help to answer, and the molecular tools that have been established and are available to researchers. Conclusions Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying all aspects of plant biology can only be achieved with the adoption of a comprehensive set of models, each of which allows the assessment of at least one aspect of plant life. The model plants described here represent a step forward towards our goal to explore and comprehend the diversity of plant form and function. Still, several questions remain unanswered, but the constant development of novel technologies in molecular biology and bioinformatics is already paving the way for the next generation of plant models. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 16/50189-0 - Can we control how plants produce their biomass?
Grantee:Igor Cesarino
Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
FAPESP's process: 15/02527-1 - Development of model systems in sorghum and a systems biology approach to unravel the molecular mechanisms controlling lignin metabolism in grasses
Grantee:Igor Cesarino
Support Opportunities: Program for Research on Bioenergy (BIOEN) - Young Investigators Grants