Mechanisms of Vernalization-Induced Flowering in Legumes.

Vernalization is the requirement for exposure to low temperatures to trigger flowering. The best knowledge about the mechanisms of vernalization response has been accumulated for and cereals. In , vernalization involves an epigenetic silencing of the MADS-box gene , which is a flowering repressor. silencing releases the expression of the main flowering inductor , resulting in a floral transition. Remarkably, no homologues have been identified in the vernalization-responsive legumes, and the mechanisms of cold-mediated transition to flowering in these species remain elusive. Nevertheless, legume genes have been shown to retain the function of the main vernalization signal integrators. Unlike , legumes have three subclades of genes, which demonstrate distinct patterns of regulation with respect to environmental cues and tissue specificity. This implies complex mechanisms of vernalization signal propagation in the flowering network, that remain largely elusive. Here, for the first time, we summarize the available information on the genetic basis of cold-induced flowering in legumes with a special focus on the role of genes.