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Putative sugarcane FT/TFL1 genes delay flowering time and alter reproductive architecture in Arabidopsis.

ABSTRACT: Agriculturally important grasses such as rice, maize, and sugarcane are evolutionarily distant from Arabidopsis, yet some components of the floral induction process are highly conserved. Flowering in sugarcane is an important factor that negatively affects cane yield and reduces sugar/ethanol production from this important perennial bioenergy crop. Comparative studies have facilitated the identification and characterization of putative orthologs of key flowering time genes in sugarcane, a complex polyploid plant whose genome has yet to be sequenced completely. Using this approach we identified phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein (PEBP) gene family members in sugarcane that are similar to the archetypical FT and TFL1 genes of Arabidopsis that play an essential role in controlling the transition from vegetative to reproductive growth. Expression analysis of ScTFL1, which falls into the TFL1-clade of floral repressors, showed transcripts in developing leaves surrounding the shoot apex but not at the apex itself. ScFT1 was detected in immature leaves and apical regions of vegetatively growing plants and, after the floral transition, expression also occurred in mature leaves. Ectopic over-expression of ScTFL1 in Arabidopsis caused delayed flowering in Arabidopsis, as might be expected for a gene related to TFL1. In addition, lines with the latest flowering phenotype exhibited aerial rosette formation. Unexpectedly, over-expression of ScFT1, which has greatest similarity to the florigen-encoding FT, also caused a delay in flowering. This preliminary analysis of divergent sugarcane FT and TFL1 gene family members from Saccharum spp. suggests that their expression patterns and roles in the floral transition has diverged from the predicted role of similar PEBP family members.

SUBMITTER: Coelho CP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4033272 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Putative sugarcane FT/TFL1 genes delay flowering time and alter reproductive architecture in Arabidopsis.

Coelho Carla P CP Minow Mark A A MA Chalfun-Júnior Antonio A Colasanti Joseph J

Frontiers in plant science 20140526

Agriculturally important grasses such as rice, maize, and sugarcane are evolutionarily distant from Arabidopsis, yet some components of the floral induction process are highly conserved. Flowering in sugarcane is an important factor that negatively affects cane yield and reduces sugar/ethanol production from this important perennial bioenergy crop. Comparative studies have facilitated the identification and characterization of putative orthologs of key flowering time genes in sugarcane, a comple ...[more]

PMID: 24904616

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Project description:Flowering is a rigorously timed and morphologically complex shift in plant development. This change depends on endogenous as well as environmental factors. FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) integrates several cues from different pathways acting as a flowering promoter. Contrary to the role of FT, its paralog TERMINAL FLOWER 1 (TFL1) delays floral transition. Although FT/TFL1 homologs have been studied in model eudicots and monocots, scarce studies are available in non-model monocots like the Orchidaceae. Orchids are very diverse and their floral complexity is translated into a unique aesthetic display, which appeals the ornamental plant market. Nonetheless, orchid trade faces huge limitations due to their long vegetative phase and intractable indoor flowering seasons. Little is known about the genetic basis that control reproductive transition in orchids and, consequently, manipulating their flowering time remains a challenge. In order to contribute to the understanding of the genetic bases that control flowering in orchids we present here the first broad-scale analysis of FT/TFL1-like genes in monocots with an expanded sampling in Orchidaceae. We also compare expression patterns in three selected species and propose hypotheses on the putative role of these genes in their reproductive transition. Our findings show that FT-like genes are by far more diversified than TFL1-like genes in monocots with six subclades in the former and only one in the latter. Within MonFT1, the comparative protein sequences of MonFT1A and MonFT1B suggest that they could have recruited functional roles in delaying flowering, a role typically assigned to TFL1-like proteins. On the other hand, MonFT2 proteins have retained their canonical motifs and roles in promoting flowering transition. This is also shown by their increased expression levels from the shoot apical meristem (SAM) and leaves to inflorescence meristems (IM) and floral buds (FBs). Finally, TFL1-like genes are retained as single copy and often times are lost. Their loss could be linked to the parallel recruitment of MonFT1A and MonFT1B homologs in delaying flowering and maintaining indeterminacy of the inflorescence meristem. These hypotheses lay the foundation for future functional validation in emerging model orchid species and comparative analyses in orchids with high horticultural potential in the market.

Dataset Information

Putative sugarcane FT/TFL1 genes delay flowering time and alter reproductive architecture in Arabidopsis.

Publications

Putative sugarcane FT/TFL1 genes delay flowering time and alter reproductive architecture in Arabidopsis.

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