Overriding Photoperiod Sensitivity of Flowering Time by Constitutive Expression of a Mads Box Gene

News source: Rural Development Administration (RDA), Suwon, Korea
For further information, Journal of Plant Biology 43,1: 28-32., 2002-05-01

Gene Controlling Photoperiod Sensitivity

Most plants sense changes in environmental signals, such as day length or temperature. A regulatory gene, OsMADS1, which controls the photoperiod sensitivity of flowering time, was identified. Constitutive expression of OsMADS1 in a long-day flowering plant, Nicotiana sylvestris, resulted in flowering under both short-day and long-day conditions.

Expression of Gene in Nicotiana

Similarly, ectopic expression of the gene in a short-day flowering plant, Nicotiana tabacum cv. Maryland Mammoth, also induced flowering, regardless of day length. Transition time depended on the level of the OsMADSI transcript in transgenic plants.

Potential Control of Flowering Time

These suggest that OsMADS1 is a key regulatory factor that determines the transition from shoot apex to floral meristem, and that it may be used for controlling flowering time in a range of plant species.

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