ANGUSTIFOLIA contributes to the regulation of three-dimensional morphogenesis in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha

Abstract

Arabidopsis thaliana mutants deficient in ANGUSTIFOLIA (AN) exhibit several phenotypes at the sporophyte stage, such as narrow and thicker leaves, trichomes with two branches, and twisted fruits. It is thought that these phenotypes are caused by abnormal arrangement of cortical microtubules (MTs). AN homologs are present in the genomes of diverse land plants, including the basal land plant Marchantia polymorpha, and their molecular functions have been shown to be evolutionarily conserved in terms of the ability to complement the A. thaliana an-1 mutation. However, the roles of ANs in bryophytes, the life cycle of which includes a dominant haploid gametophyte generation, remain unknown. Here, we examined the roles of AN homologs in the model bryophyte, M. polymorpha (MpAN). Mpan knock-out mutants showed abnormal twisted thalli and suppressed thallus growth along the growth axis. Under weak blue light conditions, elongated thallus growth was observed in wild-type plants, while it was suppressed in the mutants. Moreover, disordered cortical MT orientations were observed. Our findings suggest that MpAN contributes to three-dimensional morphogenesis by regulating cortical MT arrangement in the gametophytes of bryophytes.