Control of grass inflorescence form by the fine-tuning of meristem phase change.

The grass inflorescence is interesting from the points of view of development and evolution. In the grass family, flowers are produced on small branches called spikelets. The recent isolation of regulators of spikelet meristem (SM) identity has shed new light on development and the evolution of the gene networks involved. The timing of SM specification is mediated by the combinatorial functions of these regulators, and determines the grass inflorescence form. Furthermore, tight links between meristem cell proliferation, maintenance of meristem indeterminacy, and suppression of the spikelet identity are being uncovered.