Abstract
The temporal and spatial control of meristem identity is a key element in plant development. To better understand the molecular mechanisms that regulate inflorescence and flower architecture, we characterized the rice aberrant panicle organization 2 (apo2) mutant which exhibits small panicles with reduced number of primary branches due to the precocious formation of spikelet meristems. The apo2 mutants also display a shortened plastochron in the vegetative phase, late flowering, aberrant floral organ identities and loss of floral meristem determinacy. Map-based cloning revealed that APO2 is identical to previously reported RFL gene, the rice ortholog of the Arabidopsis LEAFY (LFY) gene. Further analysis indicated that APO2/RFL and APO1, the rice ortholog of Arabidopsis UNUSUAL FLORAL ORGANS, act cooperatively to control inflorescence and flower development. The present study revealed functional differences between APO2/RFL and LFY. In particular, APO2/RFL and LFY act oppositely on inflorescence development. Therefore, the genetic mechanisms for controlling inflorescence architecture have evolutionarily diverged between rice (monocots) and Arabidopsis (eudicots).
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 168-180 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Plant Journal |
Volume | 69 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jan 2012 |
Keywords
- APO1
- APO2
- LFY
- flower
- inflorescence
- plastochron
- rice
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Genetics
- Plant Science
- Cell Biology