| Abstract Detail
Recent Topics Posters Bartlett, Madelaine [1], Specht, Chelsea [2]. CYCLOIDEA and the Evolution of Floral Morphology in the Monocotyledons. CYCLOIDEA is part of a family of plant-specific transcription factors – the TCP domain gene family. The TCP family was named for its first members, TEOSINTE BRANCHED (Zea mays), CYCLOIDEA (Antirrhinum) and PCF1 (Oryza sativa). CYCLOIDEA and another TCP gene, DICHOTOMA, have been implicated, together with two MYB domain transcription factors, in the development of floral zygomorphy in Antirrhinum majus. CYC homologues appear to control floral symmetry in Lotus japonicus, and duplications in CYC-like genes in the Dipsacales correlate with changes in floral form. Recently, it was found that TCP-like genes were upregulated in radially symmetric Phaleonopsis mutants. Although the TCP gene family was named for genes first identified in maize and rice, little work has been done on this family (particularly the CYC-like genes) in the monocotyledons. The Zingiberales offer an ideal opportunity to study shifts in floral symmetry – both zygomorphic and asymmetric flowers are present in this order. I propose to identify the CYC like genes in monocotyledons, starting in the Zingiberales, and investigate the evolution of this gene family in the context of the phylogeny of the monocotyledons. Of the likely multiple genes identified, those most likely to be functional in floral development will be predicted. The expression patterns of these genes (assessed using in situ hybridizations) in developing flowers will be compared between groups within the Zingiberales showing differing patterns of floral symmetry. It is highly unlikely that the system that produces zygomorphic flowers in Antirrhinum functions in the same manner in the distantly related Zingiberales, but the TCP genes have been recruited repeatedly to generate different morphologies in the angiosperms. Knowing how they work in a monocot order will provide insight into the mechanics of the evolution of morphological diversity in the angiosperms.
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1 - University of California, Berkeley, Plant and Microbial Biology, 111 Koshland Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720-3102, United States
2 - University of California, Berkeley, Plant and Microbial Biology, 111 Koshland Hall MC 3102, Berkeley, California, 94720-3102, USA
Keywords:
Floral symmetry
Floral development
TCP gene family
Zingiberales
CYCLOIDEA
Monocotyledon
developmental evolution.
Presentation Type: Recent Topics Poster
Session: 48a-7
Location: Auditorium/Bell Memorial Union
Date: Tuesday, August 1st, 2006
Time: 12:30 PM
Abstract ID:1078 |
