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Exon skipping of AGAMOUS homolog PrseAG in developing double flowers of Prunus lannesiana (Rosaceae)

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Abstract

Key message

Two transcript isoforms of AGAMOUS homologs, from single and double flower Prunus lannesiana, respectively, showed different functions.

Abstract

The Arabidopsis floral homeotic C function gene AGAMOUS (AG) confers stamen and carpel identity. Loss of AG function results in homeotic conversions of stamens into petals and formation of double flowers. In order to present a molecular dissection of a double-flower cultivar in Prunus lannesiana (Rosaceae), we isolated and identified a single-copy gene, AG homolog from two genetically cognate P. lannesiana bearing single and double flowers, respectively. Sequence analysis revealed that the AG homolog, prseag-1, from double flowers showed a 170-bp exon skipping as compared to PrseAG (Prunus serrulata AGAMOUS) from the single flowers. Genomic DNA sequence revealed that abnormal splicing resulted in mutant prseag-1 protein with the C-terminal AG motifs I and II deletions. In addition, protein sequence alignment and phylogenetic analyses revealed that the PrseAG was grouped into the euAG lineage. A semi-quantitative PCR analysis showed that the expression of PrseAG was restricted to reproductive organs of stamens and carpels in single flowers of P. lannesiana ‘speciosa’, while the prseag-1 mRNA was highly transcribed throughout the petals, stamens, and carpels in double flowers from ‘Albo-rosea’. The transgenic Arabidopsis containing 35S::PrseAG displayed extremely early flowering, bigger stamens and carpels and homeotic conversion of petals into staminoid organs, but ectopic expression of prseag-1 could not mimic the phenotypic ectopic expression of PrseAG in Arabidopsis. In general, this study provides evidences to show that double flower ‘Albo-rosea’ is a putative C functional ag mutant in P. lannesiana.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by National Nature Science Foundation of China (Grants 31170574).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, Beijing, 100083, People’s Republic of China

    Zhixiong Liu, Dandan Zhang, Di Liu, Fenglan Li & Hai Lu

  2. College of Horticulture and Gardening, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, Hubei Province, 434025, People’s Republic of China

    Zhixiong Liu

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  1. Zhixiong Liu
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  2. Dandan Zhang
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  3. Di Liu
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  4. Fenglan Li
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  5. Hai Lu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hai Lu.

Additional information

Communicated by K. Kamo.

Z. Liu and D. Zhang contributed equally to this work.

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Liu, Z., Zhang, D., Liu, D. et al. Exon skipping of AGAMOUS homolog PrseAG in developing double flowers of Prunus lannesiana (Rosaceae). Plant Cell Rep 32, 227–237 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-012-1357-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-012-1357-2

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