{"title":"Linking Genes to Shape in Plants Using Morphometrics.","authors":"Hao Xu, George W Bassel","doi":"10.1146/annurev-genet-022620-094553","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A transition from qualitative to quantitative descriptors of morphology has been facilitated through the growing field of morphometrics, representing the conversion of shapes and patterns into numbers. The analysis of plant form at the macromorphological scale using morphometric approaches quantifies what is commonly referred to as a phenotype. Quantitative phenotypic analysis of individuals with contrasting genotypes in turn provides a means to establish links between genes and shapes. The path from a gene to a morphological phenotype is, however, not direct, with instructive information progressing both across multiple scales of biological complexity and through nonintuitive feedback, such as mechanical signals. In this review, we explore morphometric approaches used to perform whole-plant phenotyping and quantitative approaches in capture processes in the mesoscales, which bridge the gaps between genes and shapes in plants. Quantitative frameworks involving both the computational simulation and the discretization of data into networks provide a putative path to predicting emergent shape from underlying genetic programs.</p>","PeriodicalId":8035,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of genetics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":8.7000,"publicationDate":"2020-11-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1146/annurev-genet-022620-094553","citationCount":"8","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Annual review of genetics","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-genet-022620-094553","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2020/9/4 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"GENETICS & HEREDITY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 8
Abstract
A transition from qualitative to quantitative descriptors of morphology has been facilitated through the growing field of morphometrics, representing the conversion of shapes and patterns into numbers. The analysis of plant form at the macromorphological scale using morphometric approaches quantifies what is commonly referred to as a phenotype. Quantitative phenotypic analysis of individuals with contrasting genotypes in turn provides a means to establish links between genes and shapes. The path from a gene to a morphological phenotype is, however, not direct, with instructive information progressing both across multiple scales of biological complexity and through nonintuitive feedback, such as mechanical signals. In this review, we explore morphometric approaches used to perform whole-plant phenotyping and quantitative approaches in capture processes in the mesoscales, which bridge the gaps between genes and shapes in plants. Quantitative frameworks involving both the computational simulation and the discretization of data into networks provide a putative path to predicting emergent shape from underlying genetic programs.
期刊介绍:
The Annual Review of Genetics, published since 1967, comprehensively covers significant advancements in genetics. It encompasses various areas such as biochemical, behavioral, cell, and developmental genetics, evolutionary and population genetics, chromosome structure and transmission, gene function and expression, mutation and repair, genomics, immunogenetics, and other topics related to the genetics of viruses, bacteria, fungi, plants, animals, and humans.