Description
ALTERED MERISTEM PROGRAM1 (AMP1) is a member of the M28 family of carboxypeptidases with a pivotal role in plant development and stress adaptation. Its most prominent mutant defect is a unique hypertrophic shoot phenotype combining a strongly increased organ formation rate with enhanced meristem size and the formation of ectopic meristem poles. However, so far the role of AMP1 in shoot development could not be assigned to a specific molecular pathway nor is its biochemical function resolved. We used a chemical genetic approach to identify the drug hyperphyllin (HP), which specifically mimics the shoot defects of amp1, including plastochron reduction and enlargement and multiplication of the shoot meristem. To further assess whether hyperphyllin acts in an AMP1-dependent manner we compared the transcriptonal responses of hyperphyllin-treated wild-type Arabidopsis seedlings with those of untreated amp1 mutant seedlings.