Work

LEAFY, a Homeotic Gene That Regulates Inflorescence Development in Arabidopsis

Year: 1991

Type: article

Abstract: Variation in plant shoot structure may be described as occurring through changes within a basic unit, the metamer. Using this terminology, the apical meristem of Arabidopsis produces three metameric types sequentially: type 1, rosette; type 2, coflorescence-bearing with bract; and type 3, flower-bearing without bract. We describe a mutant of Arabidopsis, Leafy, homozygous for a recessive allele of a nuclear gene LEAFY (LFY), that has an inflorescence composed only of type 2-like metamers. These data suggest that the LFY gene is required for the development of type 3 metamers and that the transition from type 2 to type 3 metamers is a developmental step distinct from that between vegetative and reproductive growth (type 1 to type 2 metamers). Results from double mutant analysis, showing that lfy-1 is epistatic to the floral organ homeotic gene ap2-6, are consistent with the hypothesis that a functional LFY gene is necessary for the expression of downstream genes controlling floral organ identity.

Source: The Plant Cell

DOI: 10.2307/3869271

Authors: E. A. Schultz, G. W. Haughn

Institution: University of Saskatchewan

Language: English

Topic: Plant Molecular Biology Research

Subfield: Plant Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Zero hunger

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: Monash University, Universität Wien, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Wageningen University and Research