Skip to main content
Log in

A floral meristem identity gene influences physiological and ecological aspect of floral organogenesis

  • Published:
Journal of Plant Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The architecture of a flower is tightly linked to the way a plant pollinates, making it one of the most physiologically and ecologically important traits of angiosperms. Floral organ development is proposed to be governed by the activity of three different classes of organ identity genes (the ABC model), and the expression of those genes are regulated by a number of meristem identity genes. Here we use a transgenetic strategy to elucidate the role of one floral meristem identify gene,LEAFY (LFY), in the evolution of floral organogenesis of a self pollinatorIdahoa scapigera and a obligatory out-crosserLeavenworthia crassa in the mustard family, Brassicaceae. By introducing theLFY genes from these two types of pollination habit into the genetic model speciesArabidopsis thaliana, we provide evidence that changes inLFY influenced flower architecture probably by controlling the downstream organ identity genes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature cited

  • Baskin JM, Webb DH, Baskin CC (1995) A floristic plant ecology study of the limestone glades of northern Alabama. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club122: 226–242

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blázquez M, Green R, Nilsson O, Sussman MR, Weigel D (1998) Gibberelins promote flowering ofArabidopsis by activating theLEAFY promoter. Plant Cell10: 801–812

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blázquez M, Soowal L, Lee I, andWeigei D (1997)LEAFY expression and flower initiation inArabidopsis. Development119: 721–743

    Google Scholar 

  • Clough SJ, Bent AF (1998) Floral dip: a simplified method for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation ofArabidopsis thaliana. The Plant journal16: 735–743

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gailoway G, Malmberg R, Price R (1998) Phylogenetic utility of the nuclear gene arginine decarboxylase: an example from Brassicaceae. Mo! Biof Evol15: 1312–1320

    Google Scholar 

  • Hantke SS, Carpenter R, Coen ES (1995) Expression offloricaula in single cell layers of periclinal chimeras activates downstream homeotic genes in all layer of floral rneristems. Development121: 27–35

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hofer j, Turner L, Hellens R, Ambrose M, Matthews P, Michael A, Ellis N (1997)UNIFOLIATA regulates leaf and flower morphogenesis in pea. Curr Biol7: 581–587

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • jack T, Fox GL, Meyerowitz EM (1994)Arabidopsis homeotic geneAPETALA3 ectopic expression: transcriptionai and posttranscripttona! regulation determine floral organ identity. Cell76: 703–716

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jofuku KD, den Boer BGW, Van Montagu M, Okamuro JK (1994) Control ofArabidopsis flower and seed development by the homeotic geneAPETAIA2. Plant Cell6: 1211–1225

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Koch M, Haubold B, Mitchell-Olds T (2001) Molecular systematics of the Brassicaceae: evidence from coding plastidicmatK and nudearChs sequences. Am j Bot88: 534–544

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kyozuka j, Konishi S, Nernoto K, izawa T, Shimamoto K (1998) Down regulation ofRFL, the riceFLO/LFY homolog, accompanied with panicle branch initiation. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA95: 1979–1982

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mandel MA, Gustafson-Brown C, Savidge B, Yanofsky MF (1992) Molecular characterization of theArabidopsis floral homeotic geneAPETALA1. Nature360: 273–277

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mizukami Y, Ma H (1992) Ectopic expression of the floral homeotic geneACAMOUS in transgenicArabidopsis plants alters floral organ identity. Cell71: 119–131

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rollins RC (1994) The Cruciferae of continental North America. Stanford Univ. Press, Stanford CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sessions A, Yanofsky MF, Weigel D (2000) Cell-cell signaling and movement by the floral transcription factorsLEAFY andAPETALA1. Science289: 779–781

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shu G, Amaral W, Hileman LC, Baum DA (2000)LEAFYand the evolution of rosette flowering in violet cress (Jonopsidium acaule, Brassicaceae). Am J Bot87: 634–641

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weigel D, Alvarez J, Smyth DR, Yanofsky MF, Meyerowitz EM (1992) LEAFY controls floral meristem identity inArabidopsis. Cell69: 843–859

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Weigel D, Meyerowitz EM (1994) The ABCs of floral homeotic genes. Cell78: 203–209

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Weigel D, Nilsson O (1995) A developmental switch sufficient for flower initiation in diverse plants. Nature377: 495–500

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yanofsky MF, Ma H, Bowman JL, Drews GN, Feldmann KA, Meyerowitz EM (1990) The protein encoded by theArabidopsis homeotic gene agamous resembles transcription factors. Nature346: 35–39

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yoon H-S, Oldham RL, Conti E, Price RA, Baum DA (2004) Molecular evolution of the transcription factorLEAFY in Brassicaceae. Mol Biol Evol, in press.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ho-Sung Yoon.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Yoon, HS. A floral meristem identity gene influences physiological and ecological aspect of floral organogenesis. J. Plant Biol. 46, 271–276 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03030374

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03030374

Keywords

Navigation