, a Homolog of , is Associated with Flower Bud Differentiation and Floral Organ Morphogenesis in .

is one of the most popular flower plants worldwide. The recurrent flowering trait greatly enhances the ornamental value of roses, and is the result of the constant formation of new flower buds. Flower bud differentiation has always been a major topic of interest among researchers. The () MADS-box (Mcm1, Agamous, Deficiens and SRF) transcription factor-encoding gene is important for the formation of the floral meristem and floral organs. However, research on the rose gene has been limited. Thus, we isolated from 'Old Blush'. An expression analysis revealed that was not expressed before the floral primordia formation stage in flower buds. The overexpression of in resulted in an early-flowering phenotype. Additionally, the virus-induced down-regulation of expression delayed flowering in 'Old Blush'. Moreover, was specifically expressed in the sepals of floral organs, while its expression was down-regulated in abnormal sepals and leaf-like organs. These observations suggest that may contribute to rose bud differentiation as well as floral organ morphogenesis, especially the sepals. These results may help for further characterization of the regulatory mechanisms of the recurrent flowering trait in rose.