Multicellular organisms generally are composed of many different cell types, each performing a specialized function. Yet the cells within an organism all contain the same genetic information. An important challenge for biology is to explain how cells containing the same information become different from one another. My lab uses the development of leaf hairs (trichomes) of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana as a model for studying the control of cell differentiation in plants. Arabidopsis trichomes are highly specialized single cells that develop in the plant epidermis. The overall goal of our research is to understand how individual cells are selected to become trichomes and how the differentiation of these precursors is controlled. These questions are being addressed using genetic, molecular, and cell biological approaches. Current areas of research interest in the lab include the study of transcription factors involved in initating trichome development, the coordination of the cell cycle with cell differentiation, and the control of cell shape by the cytoskeleton.
Noor, M.A.F., Cunningham, A.L. and J.C. Larkin. "Consequences of recombination rate variation on QTL mapping studies: Simulations based on the Drosophila melanogaster genome." Genetics, In Press (October 2001).
Walker, J.D., Oppenheimer, D.G., Concienne, J. and J.C. Larkin, 2000. "SIAMESE,
a gene controlling the endoreplication cell cycle in Arabidopsis
thaliana trichomes." Development: 127:3931-3940. Abstract.
Larkin, J. C., J. D. Walker, A. C. Bolognesi-Winfield, J. C. Gray, and A. R. Walker. 1999. "Allele-specific interactions between ttg and gl1 during trichome development in Arabidopsis thaliana." Genetics 151:1591-1604.
Larkin, J.C., M. David Marks, J. Nadeau, and F.Sack. 1997. Epidermal cell fate and patterning in leaves. Plant Cell 9: 1109-1120.
Larkin, J.C., N. Young, M. Prigge, and M.D. Marks. 1996. The control of trichome number and spacing in Arabidopsis. Development 122: 997-1005 .
Staff
Ginger Brininstool, graduate student, e-mail
Matt Brown, graduate student, e-mail
Teresa Venezia, graduate student, e-mail
Jason Walker, technician, e-mail