Smith Stacey D
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA.
New Phytol. 2016 Jan;209(1):80-5. doi: 10.1111/nph.13583. Epub 2015 Jul 30.
Floral traits often show correlated variation, both within and across species. One explanation for this pattern of floral integration is that different elements of floral phenotypes are controlled by the same genes, that is, that the genetic architecture is pleiotropic. Recent studies from a range of model systems suggest that the pleiotropy is common among the loci responsible for floral divergence. Moreover, the effects of allelic substitutions at these loci are overwhelmingly aligned with direction of divergence, suggesting that the nature of the pleiotropic effects was adaptive. Molecular genetic studies have revealed the functional basis for some of these effects, although much remains to be discovered with respect to the molecular, biochemical and developmental mechanisms underlying most quantitative trait loci (QTL) responsible for floral differences. Developing a detailed understanding of the nature of pleiotropic mutations and their phenotypic consequences is crucial for modeling how the genetic architecture of trait variation influences the tempo and trajectory of floral evolution.
花的性状通常表现出相关变异，无论是在物种内部还是物种之间。对于这种花部整合模式的一种解释是，花表型的不同元素由相同的基因控制，也就是说，遗传结构是多效性的。来自一系列模式系统的最新研究表明，多效性在导致花部差异的基因座中很常见。此外，这些基因座上等位基因替换的效应绝大多数与分化方向一致，这表明多效性效应的本质是适应性的。分子遗传学研究已经揭示了其中一些效应的功能基础，尽管对于大多数导致花部差异的数量性状基因座（QTL）的分子、生化和发育机制，仍有许多有待发现。深入了解多效性突变的本质及其表型后果，对于模拟性状变异的遗传结构如何影响花进化的速度和轨迹至关重要。
