Abstract
Transition from the vegetative to the reproductive stage of plant development depends on photoperiod and vernalization. A simple logical model of a gene network that regulates flowering time of winter wheat is suggested. In winter varieties of cereals, vernalization sensitivity is controlled by the VRN1, VRN2 and VRN3 genes. After vernalization, the VRN1 gene product suppresses the VRN2 gene, which encodes a repressor of flowering. As a result, the level of expression of VRN3 increases and stimulates a further increase in the level of transcription of the VRN1 gene. The genes form a positive-feedback loop that enhances the transcription of VRN1 to the level that is required for the initiation of flowering. Under long-day conditions, the expression of VRN3 is enhanced by the PPD1 and CO2 gene products, which determine sensitivity to photoperiod. Seasonal changes in day length are transmitted through photoreceptors to a circadian clock that modulates flowering time. Data on barley and wheat genes that control sensitivity to vernalization and photoperiod are integrated into the gene network. Using a synchronous Boolean model, the dynamics of the gene network were reproduced. An extended model of the gene network can be used to check the consistency of the experimental data with proposals of new hypotheses on the interactions of genes.
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Original Russian Text © I.L. Stepanenko, O.G. Smirnov, I.I. Titov, 2012, published in Vavilovskii Zhurnal Genetiki i Selektsii, 2012, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 99–106.
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Stepanenko, I.L., Smirnov, O.G. & Titov, I.I. A model of the gene network for flowering time regulation in winter wheat and barley. Russ J Genet Appl Res 2, 319–324 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1134/S2079059712040107
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S2079059712040107