Flower development in 3D: Timing is the key

Developmental processes in all living organisms are controlled by genes. At the same time there is a continuous metabolism taking place. Wolfram Weckwerth, head of the Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology at University of Vienna, and his team have analyzed this interaction between metabolism and developmental processes in flowering plants (angiosperms). Angiosperms, with more than 300.000 species, are an important group of plants as they are on one hand the foundation of our nutrition in form of fruit, vegetable and grain and on the other hand contributing significantly to the biodiversity of ecosystems. In a recent study on flower development, changes in metabolism were linked to three-dimensional morphometric data using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) for the first time. In close collaboration with Jürg Schönenberger and Yannick Städler from the Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research of the Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, 14 developmental stages of the flower of Arabidopsis thaliana from very early meristematic floral initiation to fully developed seeds were monitored with micro-computed tomography in 3D. From the same set of developmental stages a full metabolic profile using mass spectrometry was measured covering hundreds of biochemical pathways. "Smallest changes in floral organ development were thus correlated with distinct metabolic profiles, and remarkable differences in metabolism were detected over the full development", says Wolfram Weckwerth. Based on these data it is possible to define the interaction of developmental processes and metabolism in a hitherto unreached resolution. Thus, the integration of 3D data of developmental processes with metabolic activities opens up a new avenue of research in developmental biology. Development, Sex and Metabolism