Regulation of Development in the Moss, Physcomitrella patens

Abstract

The study of the molecular basis of development should ideally be carried out in an organism which can be grown under controlled environmental conditions and which is amenable to both traditional and molecular genetic analysis. In addition, development events should be directly observable, preferably at the level of the individual cell. Few organisms and no plants measure up to this ideal specification, but mosses have a number of advantages which gives them considerable potential as systems for understanding plant development at the molecular level. Many moss species, including P. patens, can be cultured and can complete their life cycle on a defined growth medium which need contain no organic compounds, using essentially microbiological methods. Light intensity and quality, temperature and humidity can all be controlled, and their effects on development are therefore straightforward to study.