Department of Biology, K.U. Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 31, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium.
Nat Commun. 2013;4:2280. doi: 10.1038/ncomms3280.
MADS-domain transcription factors have been shown to act as key repressors or activators of the transition to flowering and as master regulators of reproductive organ identities. Despite their important roles in plant development, the origin of several MADS-box subfamilies has remained enigmatic so far. Here we demonstrate, through a combination of genome synteny and phylogenetic reconstructions, the origin of three major, apparently angiosperm-specific MADS-box gene clades: FLOWERING LOCUS C- (FLC-), SQUAMOSA- (SQUA-) and SEPALLATA- (SEP-)-like genes. We find that these lineages derive from a single ancestral tandem duplication in a common ancestor of extant seed plants. Contrary to common belief, we show that FLC-like genes are present in cereals where they can also act as floral repressors responsive to prolonged cold or vernalization. This opens a new perspective on the translation of findings from Arabidopsis to cereal crops, in which vernalization was originally described.
MADS 结构域转录因子已被证明在向开花的转变中充当关键的阻遏子或激活子，并作为生殖器官身份的主调控因子。尽管它们在植物发育中具有重要作用，但迄今为止，几个 MADS 盒亚家族的起源仍然是个谜。在这里，我们通过基因组同线性和系统发育重建的结合，证明了三个主要的、显然是被子植物特有的 MADS 盒基因簇的起源：开花位点 C（FLC-）、SQUAMOSA（SQUA-）和 SEPALLATA（SEP-）样基因。我们发现这些谱系起源于现存种子植物共同祖先中的一个单一祖先串联重复。与普遍的看法相反，我们表明，在谷类作物中存在 FLC 样基因，它们也可以作为对长时间低温或春化反应的花抑制物。这为将拟南芥的发现转化到最初描述春化的谷类作物中开辟了新的视角。
