DynaLines. Drawing lines in a dynamic environment: delineating domains from base to tip in plants

"from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved" (Darwin). This is not

only true for diversity in species, but also during development. From amorphous groups of cells complex tissues and organs form,

combining to make an organism able to interact with its environment. How organ shape is defined, whether there is a common

underlying mechanism, and how this has been adapted to generate diverse shapes, are core unanswered questions. DynaLines will

reveal a fundamental patterning mechanism that defines plant organ shape and how it has been altered over evolution to generate

morphological innovation. A key step in organ development is the delineation of groups of cells with unique identities. Plant organ

shape arises due to these domains growing at different rates and influences all aspects of plant life. Despite the importance of domain

patterning, the components and how they are regulated in the dynamic context of a developing plant organ is poorly understood.

The base-to-tip of the grass leaf is an excellent model as it has distinct domains with agronomically important functions. To date

studies have been hampered by a lack of tools, inaccessibility of the developing leaves and genetic redundancy. Single-cell RNAseq

and spatial protein analysis combined with my recent advances in live imaging, computational modelling and transgenic tools in

grasses now makes this possible. Using these tools, I will reveal the mechanism that delineates domains in the grass leaf, identifying

components that define domains and placing them in a spatial and temporal context for the first time. Comparing different organs

and species will reveal the conserved mechanism and identify key changes behind shape diversity. My novel approach will be a step-change

in our understanding of plant development and evolution, and will uncover a mechanism important for key agronomic traits, paving the way for precision engineering of crops.