Paula McSteen
Assistant Professor of BiologyOffice: 607B Mueller
Phone: 863-1112
Lab Address: 607 Mueller
Lab Phone: 863-1970
Contact: Paula McSteen
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Education
- B.A. (Mod), University of Dublin, Trinity College, Ireland. 1991
- PhD, John Innes Center, University of East Anglia, UK. 1996
Postdoc Training
- Plant Gene Expression Center, USDA/ARS - University of California, Berkeley. 1996-2003
Research Interests
Plant developmental genetics and signal transduction
Unlike animals, which make organs only during embryogenesis, plants make organs throughout their lifetime through the action of specialized groups of cells called meristems. Meristems function by setting aside groups of cells to become organ primordia while maintaining a population of undifferentiated cells to support further growth. My lab focuses on axillary meristems, which give rise to branches and flowers and therefore play a fundamental role in plant architecture and reproduction. The goal of our research is to understand how the signal for axillary meristem initiation is perceived and transmitted to cause the changes in gene expression, cell division and expansion required for the formation of an axillary meristem.
Using a genetic approach, many mutants with defects in the development of axillary meristems in the maize inflorescence have been identified. One of these mutants is the barren inflorescence2 or bif2 mutant, which makes fewer branches and flowers due to defects in the initiation and growth of axillary meristems. bif2 was recently cloned and shown to be expressed in axillary meristems and organ primordia. Current research uses genetic, genomic, molecular, biochemical, and physiological approaches to address the following questions: Which proteins does BIF2 interact with to regulate axillary meristem development? What are the other components in the signal transduction pathway? How do hormonal signals, such as auxin and cytokinin, regulate the pathway? We are using two model organisms, the monocot maize and the dicot Arabidopsis to address these questions. This will allow a comparison of the process of axillary meristem formation and signal transduction in Arabidopsis, which has a simple inflorescence, to maize, which has a more complex branched inflorescence.
Selected Publications
A. Skirpan, X. Wu and P. McSteen (2008) Genetic and physical interaction suggest that BARREN STALK1 is a target of BARREN INFLORESCENCE2 in maize inflorescence development. The Plant Journal. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-313X.2008.03546.x
P. McSteen and Y. Zhao (2008) Plant hormones and signaling: common themes and new developments. Developmental Cell 14:467-473.
S. Barazesh and P. McSteen (2008) barren inflorescence1 functions in organogenesis during vegetative and inflorescence development in maize. Genetics 179:389-401 .
X. Wu and P. McSteen (2007) The role of auxin transport during inflorescence development in maize, Zea mays (Poaceae). American Journal of Botany 94:1745-1755.
P. McSteen, S. Malcomber, A. Skirpan, C. Lunde, X. Wu, E. Kellogg, S. Hake (2007) barren inflorescence2 encodes a co-ortholog of the PINOID serine/threonine kinase and is required for organogenesis during inflorescence and vegetative development in maize. Plant Physiology 144:1000-1011.
P. McSteen (2006) Branching out: The ramosa pathway and the evolution of grass inflorescence morphology. Plant Cell 18:518-522.
P. McSteen, O. Leyser (2005) Shoot branching. Annual Review of Plant Biology, 56:353-374.
E. Keck, P. McSteen, R. Carpenter, and E.S. Coen (2003) Separation of genetic functions controlling organ identity in flowers. EMBO J, 22:1-9.
L. Hubbard, P. McSteen, J. Doebley and S. Hake (2002) Expression of teosinte branched1 correlates with growth suppression in maize. Genetics, 162:1924-1935.
P. McSteen and S. Hake (2001) barren inflorescence2 regulates axillary meristem development in the maize inflorescence. Development, 128:2881-2891.
P. McSteen, D. Laudencia-Chingcuanco, and J. Colasanti (2000) A floret by any other name: control of meristem identity in maize. Trends in Plant Sciences, 5:61-66.
P. McSteen and S. Hake (1998) Genetic control of plant development. Current Opinion in Biotechnology 9:189-195.
P.C.M. McSteen, C.A. Vincent, S. Doyle , R. Carpenter, and E.S. Coen (1998) Control of floral homeotic gene expression and organ morphogenesis in Antirrhinum. Development 125:2359-2369.