What does "MONOPTEROS" mean?

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MONOPTEROS is a key protein in plants that helps control how they grow and develop. It plays an important role in the formation of new organs, like leaves and flowers, from a special area in the plant called the shoot apical meristem, or SAM. This process depends on a plant hormone called auxin, which helps guide the growth and shaping of different parts.

MONOPTEROS, also known as MP, helps direct the movement and positioning of another protein called PIN1, which is essential for transporting auxin to where it is needed. By influencing the activity of PIN1, MONOPTEROS ensures that the plant can properly form new organs.

There is also a special version of MONOPTEROS called MP11ir. This form acts differently and is not affected by some regulatory proteins that normally control MONOPTEROS. MP11ir is especially important during the creation of embryos in plants. If plants lack functional MONOPTEROS, they have trouble forming embryos properly.

Overall, MONOPTEROS is crucial for helping plants grow and develop by managing hormone signals and guiding the formation of new structures.