POC Conf. Call 3-8-11

POC meeting, Webex Conference Call; Date: Tuesday Mar 8th, 2011 10am (PST)

In attendance:

POC members:

Absent:

Collaborators:

Acceptance of the minutes from the POC_Conf._Call_3-1-11?

New items for Physcomitrella:

Shoot apical meristem/apical cell/phyllome

MO has requested the term apical cell.

We already have the term apical cell (PO:0004000), which is an embryonic cell: "An embryonic plant cell that is the uppermost cell formed after the first division of the zygote." Suggest renaming PO:0004000 "embryonic apical cell" for clarity. The embryonic apical cell can also be found in non-angiosperms.

Growth in mosses (and other bryophytes?) results from divisions of a single apical cell. Branches or leaves form from division and differentiation of sub-apical cells. Mosses do not have an apical meristem in the same sense as vascular plants.

If we define apical cell as is_a meristematic cell, we will have a problem. Even though apical cell is consistent with the definition of meristematic cell (synthesizing protoplasm and producing new cells by division and with only a primary cell wall), it is not consistent with the relation meristematic cell part_of meristem. A meristem is a portion of tissue and therefore two or more cells. We could solve this problem by changing meristematic cell part_of meristem to meristem has_part meristematic cell.

Proposed def. of apical cell: A meristematic cell at the apex of a gametophore or non-vascular leaf (phyllid).

Comment: Occurs in mosses and other bryophytes.

Apical cells also cause an issue with or definition of phyllome (PO:0006001): "A lateral plant organ produced by a shoot apical meristem." This definition is not strictly applicable to non-vascular leaves, which are phyllomes. Suggest we tweak the definition of phyllome to allow for this.

Proposed def. of phyllome: A plant organ produced by the lateral portion of a shoot apex.

Comment: In vascular plants, phyllomes arise from the shoot apical meristem. In non-vascular plants, phyllomes arise from division of a sub-apical cell (sometimes referred to as a leaf initial).

Whole plant structures

protonema - The filamentous stage of gametophyte development. Protonemal tissue is produced following spore germination or the regeneration of most tissues (whether gametophytic or sporophytic). In most moss species, protonemal filaments comprise two cell types, caulonema (q.v.) and chloronema (q.v.). Both types of filament extend by the serial division of their apical cells. Sub-apical cells may branch. (MO definition, from Celia Knight,Pierre-François Perroud,David Cove (2009): The moss Physcomitrella patens. The Annual Plant Review 36, Glossary)

Protonemata may develop from a spore or from a fragment of gametophytic tissue.

The Physco group classified protonema as whole plant, but could be considered a life-cycle phase (part of gametophytic phase). Need to decide how to handle it. After the leafy part of the gametophyte develops from the protonema, the protonema still persists, so there is some part of the life cycle in which the protonema is not the whole plant.

chloronema - The assimilitory filaments of the protonemal stage of gametophyte development. Compared to caulonmeal filaments, the cells of P. patens chloronemal filaments contain many well developed chloroplasts. The cross walls of adjacent cells in chloronemal filaments are perpenicular to the filament axis. (MO definition, from Celia Knight,Pierre-François Perroud,David Cove (2009): The moss Physcomitrella patens. The Annual Plant Review 36, Glossary)

caulonema - The adventitious filaments of the protonemal stage of gemtophyte development. Compared to chloronemal filaments, the cells of P. Patnes caulonemal filaments contain only fewer, less well developed chloroplasts. The cross walls of adjacent cells in caulonemal filaments are oblique to the filament axis. (MO definition, from Celia Knight,Pierre-François Perroud,David Cove (2009): The moss Physcomitrella patens. The Annual Plant Review 36, Glossary)

The MO classified chloronema and caulonema as is_a protonema, therefore is_a whole plant, but maybe they could be considered portions of tissue. They also have terms for chloronema cell and caulonema cell, but those are pretty straight-forward.

Proposed definition of chloronema:

Proposed definition of caulonema:

Cardinal organ parts

Terms requested by MO:

calyptra

base

peristome

theca

lid

foot

neck canal

Other terms, not from MO

epiphram

spore capsule mouth

pseudopodium

venter

Plant Tissues

paraphyllium - Tiny filaments, scales or leaf-like structures scattered on the stems of some leafy bryophytes. Bill and Nancy Malcolm (2006): Mosses and other Bryophytes, an illustrated glossary, second edition (MO definition)

Crum defines them as "Small green outgrowths formed between the leaves on stems and branches of some pleurocarps (mosses that produce archegonia and sporophytes laterally, rather than on the tips of their axes) and a very few leafy liverworts."

Schofield describes paraphyllia as outgrowths of the epidermis, but he also describes leaves that way.

MO has this listed as a plant organ

Proposed definition: A phyllome/portion of plant tissue that is a small filamentous, scale-like, or leaf-like outgrowth from the epidermis between the leaves of a gametophore axis.

Comment: Paraphyllia are much smaller than leaves. Found in pleurocarpous mosses and a few leafy liverworts.

The paraphyllia are the small, dark structures between the leaves.

midrib

rhizoid

archesporium

amphithecium

endothecium

jacket layer

paraphysis

axilliary hair

tmema

Plant Cells

Terms requested by MO:

archesporial cell

apical cell

shoot apical cell

phyllid apical cell

alar cell

brachycyte

chloronema cell

caulonema cell

tmema cell

jacket layer cell

axillary hair terminal cell

axillary hair base cell

neck canal cell

side branch initial

Other terms, not requested by MO:

hyrdoid

leptoid

rhizoid initial

Upcoming meetings 2011:

* ICBO 2011 Second International Conference on Biomedical Ontology July 26-30, 2011 Buffalo, New York

ICBO

LC contributed to the workshop proposal "From Fins to Limbs to Leaves: Facilitating anatomy ontology interoperability" Authors: Melissa Haendel, Chris Mungall, Alan Ruttenberg, David Osumi-Sutherland and Laurel Cooper

Submitted: February 15th, 2011

- LC will attend and represent the PO. Invite other plant people? Will talk with Elizabeth Arnaud at the upcoming meeting.

-BS suggested we might want to submit a short paper which could be published in longer form later- see above

*Plant Biology 2011, Aug 6-10th, Minneapolis, Minn

Plant Biology 2011

Early-bird registration ends May 13.

Abstract deadlines: Your abstract must be submitted by March 11 if you want it to be considered for a minisymposium talk.

For inclusion on the program memory stick and in the program book, abstracts must be submitted by May 27.

* International Botanical Congress (IBC2011)

July 23rd-30th 2011, Melbourne, Australia

Registration is open Important dates

Symposium proposal was accepted, 'Bio-Ontologies for the Plant Sciences' under the Genetics, Genomics and Bioinformatics theme.

Dennis, Alejandra, Pankaj and Ramona are planning to attend.

See IBC 2011 Bio-Ontologies Symposium wiki page for more details