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Hormonal Interactions in Fruit Development

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Abstract

Fruit development involves a complex interplay of cell division, differentiation and expansion of sporophytic and gametophytic tissues that is carefully coordinated temporally and spatially. Plant hormones are signal molecules that regulate many processes of plant development, including fruit development leading to mature fruit and viable mature seed. Auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins, abscisic acid, and ethylene have been implicated at various stages of fruit development. In the past, hormone application studies and hormone analysis studies have supported the hypothesis that fruit development is in part regulated by hormonal interaction. More recently, biochemical, genetic, and molecular studies are beginning to unravel the complexities of how hormones affect fruit development. In the current work, we review selected studies that show the interplay between hormones during fruit development, with an emphasis on the interaction between auxin and gibberellin in pea fruit development.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Frank Dennis Jr. and Dr. Robert Bandurski for their support in our initial interest in the study of fruit physiology. This work was supported by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

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  1. Plant Physiology and Molecular Biology Research Group, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2P5, Canada

    Jocelyn A. Ozga & Dennis M. Reinecke

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Correspondence to Jocelyn A. Ozga.

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Ozga, J.A., Reinecke, D.M. Hormonal Interactions in Fruit Development . J Plant Growth Regul 22, 73–81 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-003-0024-9

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