Dellaporta S L, Calderon-Urrea A
Department of Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8104.
Science. 1994 Dec 2;266(5190):1501-5. doi: 10.1126/science.7985019.
Maize partitions the sexes into different flowers on the plant, a condition called monoecy, which facilitates outcrossing. Sex determination in maize is a complex process involving an interplay between genetic determinants, the environment, and hormones. Unisexuality of flowers is achieved by the process of selective arrest and abortion of the inappropriate organ primordia within a bisexual floral meristem. Floral organ abortion is associated with the degeneration of cells within an immature primordia. Masculinizing genes are required for gynoecial abortion, feminizing genes arrest stamen development, and both types also control secondary sexual traits involving morphological characteristics of floral tissues. Gibberellins, steroid-like plant hormones, appear to play a pivotal role in the stamen abortion process and the feminization of floral tissues.
玉米将雌雄花分别着生于植株的不同花朵上，这种情况称为雌雄同株异花，有利于异花授粉。玉米的性别决定是一个复杂的过程，涉及遗传决定因素、环境和激素之间的相互作用。花的单性是通过双性花分生组织内不适当器官原基的选择性停滞和败育过程实现的。花器官败育与未成熟原基内细胞的退化有关。雌性器官败育需要雄性化基因，雌性化基因会阻止雄蕊发育，这两种类型的基因还控制涉及花组织形态特征的次生性状。赤霉素是一种类固醇类植物激素，似乎在雄蕊败育过程和花组织的雌性化中起关键作用。
