Huang NC, Jane WN, Chen J, Yu TS

Floral initiation is orchestrated by systemic floral activators and inhibitors. This remote-control system may integrate environmental cues to modulate floral initiation. Recently, FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) was found to be a florigen. However, the identity of systemic floral inhibitor or anti-florigen remains to be elucidated. Here we show that Arabidopsis ...

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thaliana CENTRORADIALIS homologue (ATC), an Arabidopsis FT homolog, may act in a non-cell autonomous manner to inhibit floral initiation. Analysis of the ATC null mutant revealed that ATC is a short-day induced floral inhibitor. Cell type-specific expression showed that companion cells and apex expressing ATC are sufficient to inhibit floral initiation. Histochemical analysis showed the promoter activity of ATC mainly in vasculature but under the detection limit in apex, which suggests that ATC may moves from the vasculature to the apex to influence flowering. Consistent with this notion, Arabidopsis seedling-grafting experiments demonstrated that ATC moved over long distance and that floral inhibition by ATC is graft transmissible. ATC probably antagonizes FT activity, because both ATC and FT interact with FD and affect the same downstream meristem identity genes APETALA1, in an opposite manner. Thus, photoperiodic variations may trigger functionally opposite FT homologs to systemically influence floral initiation. © 2012 The Authors. The Plant Journal © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Date: Jun. 15, 2012

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