| Abstract Detail
Gene Structure and Function Preston, Jill C. [1], Hileman, Lena [2]. A putative regulator of the AP1/FUL floral meristem identity genes initiates flowering in Antirrhinum majus. Specific lineages of MADS-box genes are known to be critically important in inflorescence and flower development, but the identity and functions of their upstream regulators is less well understood. SQUAMOSA BINDING PROTEIN1 (SBP1) and SBP2 are paralogous genes implicated in regulating the floral meristem identity gene SQUAMOSA (SQUA) in snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus). To test the hypothesis that SBP genes act redundantly in the transition and maintenance of snapdragon flowering, we have used a reverse genetics approach to silence SBP1. SBP1-silenced lines are late- or non-flowering, but inflorescences of late-flowering individuals are not significantly different from wild type. In combination with expression and sequence analyses of AP1/FUL-like genes, these mutant phenotypes suggest a primarily early role for SBP1 in the transition to flowering. These data outline the utility of virus-induced gene silencing for reverse genetics in snapdragon, and provide new insight into the genetic basis of flowering in this important model species.
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1 - University of Kansas, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 2041 Haworth Hall, 1200 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, Kansas, 66045, United States
2 - University of Kansas, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 1200 Sunnyside Ave., Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA
Keywords:
snapdragon
SQUAMOSA-BINDING PROTEIN
floral transition
Antirrhinum majus
AP1/FUL.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Topics
Session: 7
Location: Wasatch A/Cliff Lodge - Level C
Date: Monday, July 27th, 2009
Time: 8:00 AM
Number: 7001
Abstract ID:176 |
