Origin and function of stomata in the moss Physcomitrella patens
Chater CC, Caine RS, Tomek M, Wallace S, Kamisugi Y, Cuming AC, Lang D, MacAlister CA, Casson S, Bergmann DC, Decker EL, Frank W, Gray JE, Fleming A, Reski R, Beerling DJ.
Nat Plants. 2016;2:16179.
We discovered that the heterodimerisation of two distinct transcription factors is responsible for the development of stomata – microscopic valves in plant surfaces that facilitate the uptake of CO2 and the release of O2 and water vapour. An evolutionary reconstruction revealed that this developmental innovation occurred at least 400 million years ago and enabled by rising O2 levels in the atmosphere animal evolution on land.
