生物技术通报 ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (9): 1-13.doi: 10.13560/j.cnki.biotech.bull.1985.2025-0924

• 植物发育生物学专题 •    

植物花分生组织活性的调控机制

王鑫, 陈炜, 孙博()   

  1. 医药生物技术全国重点实验室 南京大学生命科学学院,南京 210023
  • 收稿日期:2025-08-26 出版日期:2026-09-26 发布日期:2026-09-16
  • 通讯作者: 孙博sunbo@nju.edu.cn
  • 作者简介:第一联系人:同等贡献
  • 基金资助:
    国家自然科学基金面上项目(32470358);国家自然科学基金面上项目(32070200);中央高校基本科研项目(020814380180)

Regulatory Mechanism of Plant Floral Meristem Activity

WANG Xin, CHEN Wei, SUN Bo()   

  1. State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023
  • Received:2025-08-26 Published:2026-09-26 Online:2026-09-16

摘要:

花是被子植物传代重要的繁殖器官,在演化过程中形成了繁复的多样化性状。花分生组织(floral meristem, FM)中的干细胞为花器官(floral organ)的发育提供了细胞来源,对FM活性的调控直接影响FM的大小和花器官的数目。外在环境信号、植物激素和内源调控因子构成的调控网络决定了花原基的起始、花分生组织的建立与适时终止以及花器官身份特化的过程。FM活性直接影响作物的产量,因此众多作物育种改良均关注FM调控这一过程。本文以模式植物拟南芥为主,系统梳理了生长素信号及下游转录因子调控花原基起始与FM建立的分子机制,“ABCDE”模型决定花器官身份特性的原理,以CLAVATA-WUSCHEL负反馈通路为核心的FM活性维持与抑制机制,以及多级转录因子介导的FM程序性终止通路。同时,本文也总结了单子叶作物(包括水稻与玉米等)花发育以及FM活性调控的最新进展。通过单子叶植物与拟南芥、番茄等双子叶植物间的比较,揭示了“ABCDE”模型对花器官身份的决定作用,以及CLE(CLV3/ENDOSPERM SURROUNDING REGION)小肽通路抑制FM活性在被子植物中的保守性。在此基础上,猜测C类同源异型基因-C2H2/YABBY转录因子模块是调控被子植物FM适时终止的关键因子。此外,本文亦综述了近年来FM活性研究中涉及的新兴技术及其应用场景,特别探讨了快速发展的单细胞(核)转录组、空间转录组以及单细胞多组学测序等技术在多组学时代背景下,克服FM高度异质性与细胞多样性,以高效、深入解析FM活性调控网络的应用潜力。最后展望了FM发育相关研究的未来方向及可能面临的挑战,旨在为深入解析FM活性调控机制与基于FM活性设计的分子育种策略提供理论依据。

关键词: 花, 花分生组织, 花器官原基, 花分生组织活性, WUSCHEL, 植物激素, 单细胞转录组

Abstract:

Flowers, the reproductive organs of angiosperms, have evolved highly diverse forms. The floral meristem (FM) provides the cellular basis for the development of floral organs, and its activity determines the FM size and floral organ numbers. The precise regulatory network including environmental signals, phytohormones, and endogenous regulatory factors determines the initiation of floral primordia, the establishment and timed termination of FM, and floral organ identity specification. Since the regulation of floral development and FM activity directly affects the yield of crops, it has been a hotspot for crop breeding. With the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, this review systematically summarizes the molecular mechanisms governing floral primordium initiation and FM establishment mediated by auxin signaling and downstream transcription factors. Besides, this review also details the determining role of “ABCDE” model for floral organ identity, the CLAVATA-WUSCHEL negative feedback loop centered FM activity maintenance and suppression, and the timed FM termination pathway orchestrated by multiple transcription factors. This review also summarizes the latest progress in floral development and FM activity regulation in monocotyledonous crops (including rice (Oryza sativa) and maize (Zea mays)).By comparing mechanisms of flower development and FM regulation in monocot crops (e.g., rice, maize) with those in dicots (e.g., Arabidopsis, tomato), this review reveals the determining roles of the “ABCDE” model in floral organ identity, and the conservation of CLE (CLV3/ ENDOSPERM SURROUNDING REGION) peptide pathways in FM suppression across angiosperms. On this basis, we speculate that the C-class homeotic gene-C2H2/YABBY transcription factor module is a key regulator of timed FM termination in angiosperms. The review also covers emerging technologies in FM research, particularly highlighting the application potential of rapidly advancing single-cell (nucleus) transcriptomics, spatial transcriptomics, and single-cell multi-omics sequencing. These technologies overcome the challenges of FM heterogeneity and cellular diversity, enabling efficient and in-depth dissection of FM regulatory networks in the multi-omics era. Finally, we outline future research directions and potential challenges in FM development, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for elucidating FM regulatory mechanisms and designing molecular breeding strategies based on FM activity.

Key words: flower, floral meristem, floral organ, floral meristem activity, WUSCHEL, phytohormones, single cell transcriptomics