Enhanced Expression of SLL1 Stimulated Phloem Development in the Abaxial Cell Layer and Suppressed the Formation of Sclerenchymatous Cells in the Adaxial Cell Layer.
(A) qRT-PCR analysis confirmed the enhanced expression of SLL1 (top panel). The transgenic plants (3-week-old seedlings) revealed a phenotype with upper-rolled leaves (bottom panel, bar = 5 cm). The enlarged squared regions highlight leaf rolling compared with control. Experiments are biological replicates.
(B) Enhanced development of phloem of SLL1-overexpressing plants. Cross-section analyses were performed to analyze the development of phloem in the midrib (the squared regions are enlarged) and the large and small veins of wild-type and SLL1-overexpressing plants. P, phloem. Bars = 50 μm.
(C) Defective formation of sclerenchymatous cells in the adaxial cell layer of SLL1-overexpressing plants. Broken arrows indicate the regions where sclerenchymatous cells would have formed in normal leaf (bottom panel). Bars = 100 μm.