The role of KANADI in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha

In flowering plants, KANADI genes regulate the polarity of leaves, as well as regulating development under shade. Here I investigated the role of a related KANADI gene in the liverwort species Marchantia polymorpha, to determine whether it has an analogous role regulating polarity and/or shade responses in a distantly related lineage of land plants. In Marchantia, KANADI does not regulate polarity, however it does promote a number of light responses similar to shade responses in flowering plants, including the transition to sexual development, suggesting that KANADI has a conserved role regulating developmental responses to light across land plants.