scholarly journals Developmental and Molecular Changes Underlying the Vernalization-Induced Transition to Flowering in Aquilegia coerulea (James)

Genes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bharti Sharma ◽  
Timothy A. Batz ◽  
Rakesh Kaundal ◽  
Elena M. Kramer ◽  
Uriah R. Sanders ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flowering Time ◽  
Apical Meristem ◽  
Genetic Basis ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Molecular Changes ◽  
Rnaseq Data ◽  
And Cluster Analysis ◽  
Reproductive Phases ◽  
Floral Meristems ◽  
Transition To Flowering

Reproductive success in plants is dependent on many factors but the precise timing of flowering is certainly among the most crucial. Perennial plants often have a vernalization or over-wintering requirement in order to successfully flower in the spring. The shoot apical meristem undergoes drastic developmental and molecular changes as it transitions into inflorescence meristem (IM) identity, which then gives rise to floral meristems (FMs). In this study, we have examined the developmental and gene expression changes underlying the transition from the vegetative to reproductive phases in the basal eudicot Aquilegia coerulea, which has evolved a vernalization response independently relative to other established model systems. Results from both our histology and scanning electron studies demonstrate that developmental changes in the meristem occur gradually during the third and fourth weeks of vernalization. Based on RNAseq data and cluster analysis, several known flowering time loci, including AqFT and AqFL1, exhibit dramatic changes in expression during the fourth week. Further consideration of candidate gene homologs as well as unexpected loci of interest creates a framework in which we can begin to explore the genetic basis of the flowering time transition in Aquilegia.

scholarly journals CLAVATA1, a regulator of meristem and flower development in Arabidopsis

Development ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 119 (2) ◽  
pp. 397-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.E. Clark ◽  
M.P. Running ◽  
E.M. Meyerowitz
Keyword(s):  
Flower Development ◽  
Double Mutant ◽  
Apical Meristem ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Floral Meristem ◽  
Homeotic Genes ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Meristem Identity ◽  
Floral Meristems ◽  
Transition To Flowering

We have investigated the effects on plant development of mutations in the Arabidopsis thaliana CLAVATA1 gene. In clavata1 plants, vegetative, inflorescence and floral meristems are all enlarged relative to wild type. The apical meristem can fasciate in the more severe mutant alleles, and this fasciation can occur prior to the transition to flowering. Flowers of clavata1 plants can have increased numbers of organs in all four whorls, and can also have additional whorls not present in wild-type flowers. Double mutant combinations of clavata1 with agamous, apetala2, apetala3 and pistillata indicate that CLAVATA1 controls the underlying floral meristem structure upon which these homeotic genes act. Double mutant combinations of clavata1 with apetala1 and leafy indicate CLAVATA1 plays a role in establishing and maintaining floral meristem identity, in addition to its role in controlling meristem size. In support of this, RNA expression patterns of AGAMOUS and APETALA1 are altered in clavata1 flowers.

Novel Loci Control Variation in Reproductive Timing inArabidopsis thalianain Natural Environments

Genetics ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 162 (4) ◽  
pp. 1875-1884 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia Weinig ◽  
Mark C Ungerer ◽  
Lisa A Dorn ◽  
Nolan C Kane ◽  
Yuko Toyonaga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Basis ◽  
Allelic Variation ◽  
Developmental Pathways ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Reproductive Timing ◽  
Controlled Environments ◽  
Photoperiod Pathway ◽  
Differential Involvement ◽  
Short Days ◽  
Transition To Flowering

AbstractMolecular biologists are rapidly characterizing the genetic basis of flowering in model species such as Arabidopsis thaliana. However, it is not clear how the developmental pathways identified in controlled environments contribute to variation in reproductive timing in natural ecological settings. Here we report the first study of quantitative trait loci (QTL) for date of bolting (the transition from vegetative to reproductive growth) in A. thaliana in natural seasonal field environments and compare the results with those obtained under typical growth-chamber conditions. Two QTL specific to long days in the chamber were expressed only in spring-germinating cohorts in the field, and two loci specific to short days in the chamber were expressed only in fall-germinating cohorts, suggesting differential involvement of the photoperiod pathway in different seasonal environments. However, several other photoperiod-specific QTL with large effects in controlled conditions were undetectable in natural environments, indicating that expression of allelic variation at these loci was overridden by environmental factors specific to the field. Moreover, a substantial number of QTL with major effects on bolting date in one or more field environments were undetectable under controlled environment conditions. These novel loci suggest the involvement of additional genes in the transition to flowering under ecologically relevant conditions.

scholarly journals Inter-species functional compatibility of the Theobroma cacao and Arabidopsis FT orthologs: 90 million years of functional conservation of meristem identity genes

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
S. F. Prewitt ◽  
A. Shalit-Kaneh ◽  
S. N. Maximova ◽  
M. J. Guiltinan
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Tissue Culture ◽  
Gene Family ◽  
Flowering Time ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Regulatory Pathways ◽  
Late Flowering ◽  
Precocious Flowering ◽  
Transition To Flowering

Abstract Background In angiosperms the transition to flowering is controlled by a complex set of interacting networks integrating a range of developmental, physiological, and environmental factors optimizing transition time for maximal reproductive efficiency. The molecular mechanisms comprising these networks have been partially characterized and include both transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulatory pathways. Florigen, encoded by FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) orthologs, is a conserved central integrator of several flowering time regulatory pathways. To characterize the molecular mechanisms involved in controlling cacao flowering time, we have characterized a cacao candidate florigen gene, TcFLOWERING LOCUS T (TcFT). Understanding how this conserved flowering time regulator affects cacao plant’s transition to flowering could lead to strategies to accelerate cacao breeding. Results BLAST searches of cacao genome reference assemblies identified seven candidate members of the CENTRORADIALIS/TERMINAL FLOWER1/SELF PRUNING gene family including a single florigen candidate. cDNA encoding the predicted cacao florigen was cloned and functionally tested by transgenic genetic complementation in the Arabidopsis ft-10 mutant. Transgenic expression of the candidate TcFT cDNA in late flowering Arabidopsis ft-10 partially rescues the mutant to wild-type flowering time. Gene expression studies reveal that TcFT is spatially and temporally expressed in a manner similar to that found in Arabidopsis, specifically, TcFT mRNA is shown to be both developmentally and diurnally regulated in leaves and is most abundant in floral tissues. Finally, to test interspecies compatibility of florigens, we transformed cacao tissues with AtFT resulting in the remarkable formation of flowers in tissue culture. The morphology of these in vitro flowers is normal, and they produce pollen that germinates in vitro with high rates. Conclusion We have identified the cacao CETS gene family, central to developmental regulation in angiosperms. The role of the cacao’s single FT-like gene (TcFT) as a general regulator of determinate growth in cacao was demonstrated by functional complementation of Arabidopsis ft-10 late-flowering mutant and through gene expression analysis. In addition, overexpression of AtFT in cacao resulted in precocious flowering in cacao tissue culture demonstrating the highly conserved function of FT and the mechanisms controlling flowering in cacao.

Model systems for aging research: syncretic concepts and diversity of mechanisms

Genome ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 406-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Shmookler Reis
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Germ Line ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Recent Experimental Data ◽  
Aging Research ◽  
Molecular Changes ◽  
Biochemical Processes ◽  
Weakest Link

A variety of very different phenomena have been subsumed under the heading of "aging" research. A review of recent experimental data, in several of the best-studied model systems for the investigation of aging, indicates that molecular changes which are putative or demonstrated proximal causes of senescent deterioration are generally not shared by other systems examined. It is thus argued that different aberrant biochemical processes have evolved as the "weakest link" limiting longevity or intermeiotic interval in different systems, although in each case the germ line must be exempted.Key words: aging, senescence, meiosis, DNA, RNA.

scholarly journals New Symptoms Identified in Phytoplasma-Infected Plants Reveal Extra Stages of Pathogen-Induced Meristem Fate-Derailment

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (10) ◽  
pp. 1314-1323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Wei ◽  
Robert E. Davis ◽  
Gary R. Bauchan ◽  
Yan Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Seed Production ◽  
Shoot Apical Meristem ◽  
Apical Meristem ◽  
Flowering Plants ◽  
Multistage Process ◽  
Inflorescence Meristem ◽  
Sieve Cells ◽  
Specific Stage ◽  
Transition Research ◽  
Floral Meristems

In flowering plants, the transition of a shoot apical meristem from vegetative to reproductive destiny is a graduated, multistage process that involves sequential conversion of the vegetative meristem to an inflorescence meristem, initiation of floral meristems, emergence of flower organ primordia, and formation of floral organs. This orderly process can be derailed by phytoplasma, a bacterium that parasitizes phloem sieve cells. In a previous study, we showed that phytoplasma-induced malformation of flowers reflects stage-specific derailment of shoot apical meristems from their genetically preprogrammed reproductive destiny. Our current study unveiled new symptoms of abnormal morphogenesis, pointing to derailment of meristem transition at additional stages previously unidentified. We also found that the fate of developing meristems may be derailed even after normal termination of the floral meristem and onset of seed production. Although previous reports by others have indicated that different symptoms may be induced by different phytoplasmal effectors, the phenomenon observed in our experiment raises interesting questions as to (i) whether effectors can act at specific stages of meristem transition and (ii) whether specific floral abnormalities are attributable to meristem fate-derailment events triggered by different effectors that each act at a specific stage in meristem transition. Research addressing such questions may lead to discoveries of an array of phytoplasmal effectors.

scholarly journals PHOSPHORYLETHANOLAMINE CYTIDYLYLTRANSFERASE 1 modulates flowering in a florigen-independent manner by regulating SVP

Development ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 148 (1) ◽  
pp. dev193870
Author(s):  
Hendry Susila ◽  
Zeeshan Nasim ◽  
Katarzyna Gawarecka ◽  
Ji-Yul Jung ◽  
Suhyun Jin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arabidopsis Thaliana ◽  
Flowering Time ◽  
Shoot Apical Meristem ◽  
Apical Meristem ◽  
Artificial Microrna ◽  
Flowering Locus T ◽  
Independent Manner ◽  
Vegetative Phase ◽  
Twin Sister ◽  
Short Vegetative Phase

ABSTRACTPHOSPHORYLETHANOLAMINE CYTIDYLYLTRANSFERASE 1 (PECT1) regulates phosphatidylethanolamine biosynthesis and controls the phosphatidylethanolamine:phosphatidylcholine ratio in Arabidopsis thaliana. Previous studies have suggested that PECT1 regulates flowering time by modulating the interaction between phosphatidylcholine and FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT), a florigen, in the shoot apical meristem (SAM). Here, we show that knockdown of PECT1 by artificial microRNA in the SAM (pFD::amiR-PECT1) accelerated flowering under inductive and even non-inductive conditions, in which FT transcription is almost absent, and in ft-10 twin sister of ft-1 double mutants under both conditions. Transcriptome analyses suggested that PECT1 affects flowering by regulating SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE (SVP) and GIBBERELLIN 20 OXIDASE 2 (GA20ox2). SVP misexpression in the SAM suppressed the early flowering of pFD::amiR-PECT1 plants. pFD::amiR-PECT1 plants showed increased gibberellin (GA) levels in the SAM, concomitant with the reduction of REPRESSOR OF GA1-3 levels. Consistent with this, GA treatment had little effect on flowering time of pFD::amiR-PECT1 plants and the GA antagonist paclobutrazol strongly affected flowering in these plants. Together, these results suggest that PECT1 also regulates flowering time through a florigen-independent pathway, modulating SVP expression and thus regulating GA production.

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