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Abstract
In the Arabidopsis root meristem, initial cells undergo asymmetric divisions to generate
the cell lineages of the root. The scarecrow mutation results in roots that are missing
one cell layer owing to the disruption of an asymmetric division that normally generates
cortex and endodermis. Tissue-specific markers indicate that a heterogeneous cell
type is formed in the mutant. The deduced amino acid sequence of SCARECROW (SCR) suggests
that it is a member of a novel family of putative transcription factors. SCR is expressed
in the cortex/endodermal initial cells and in the endodermal cell lineage. Tissue-specific
expression is regulated at the transcriptional level. These results indicate a key
role for SCR in regulating the radial organization of the root.