Coordination of organ identity and symmetry establishment in flower organs

Geometric features are embedded in the body of living organisms such as plants, animals, and fungi. A
remarkable geometric feature shared by multicellular organisms is the distribution of identical body
parts around an imaginary axis, known as SYMMETRY. Symmetry in biology is not only a very
fascinating process to be understood, but also a necessity as it provides the foundation for organ
shape and function. Thus, symmetry establishment and breaking ultimately support adaptation and
evolutionary advantages. Despite its fundamental importance, how a type of symmetry, i.e., bilateral
and radial symmetry, is established and/or switched during the development of multicellular
organisms is still poorly understood. Symmetry foundation, the polarity of the body-axes, and
cell/tissue fate determination are intertwined processes during multicellular development of both
animals and plants. This project will investigate how tissue/organ identy and polarity are coordinated
with symmetry establishment during the development of flower organs in Arabidopsis thaliana, with
the final aim to discover the genetic, molecular and cellular principles necessary to set up a ground
symmetric type during plant organogenesis.