Parcy F, Nilsson O, Busch M A, Lee I, Weigel D
The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California 92037, USA.
Nature. 1998 Oct 8;395(6702):561-6. doi: 10.1038/26903.
The initial steps of flower development involve two classes of consecutively acting regulatory genes. Meristem-identity genes, which act early to control the initiation of flowers, are expressed throughout the incipient floral primordium. Homeotic genes, which act later to specify the identity of individual floral organs, are expressed in distinct domains within the flower. The link between the two classes of genes has remained unknown so far. Here we show that the meristem-identity gene LEAFY has a role in controlling homeotic genes that is separable from its role in specifying floral fate. On the basis of our observation that LEAFY activates different homeotic genes through distinct mechanisms, we propose a genetic framework for the control of floral patterning.
花发育的初始阶段涉及两类相继起作用的调控基因。分生组织特征基因早期起作用以控制花的起始，在整个初期花原基中表达。同源异型基因稍后起作用以确定单个花器官的特征，在花内的不同区域表达。到目前为止，这两类基因之间的联系尚不清楚。我们在此表明，分生组织特征基因LEAFY在控制同源异型基因方面具有与其在确定花的命运方面的作用可分离的作用。基于我们观察到LEAFY通过不同机制激活不同的同源异型基因，我们提出了一个控制花形态建成的遗传框架。
