1. APETALA2 functions as a temporal factor together with BLADE-ON-PETIOLE2 and MADS29 to control flower and grain development in barley.
- Author
-
Shoesmith JR, Solomon CU, Yang X, Wilkinson LG, Sheldrick S, van Eijden E, Couwenberg S, Pugh LM, Eskan M, Stephens J, Barakate A, Drea S, Houston K, Tucker MR, and McKim SM
- Subjects
- Alleles, Base Sequence, CRISPR-Cas Systems genetics, Edible Grain anatomy & histology, Edible Grain metabolism, Flowers growth & development, Flowers metabolism, Gene Editing, Gene Expression Regulation, Plant, Genotype, Homeodomain Proteins chemistry, Homeodomain Proteins genetics, Hordeum growth & development, MADS Domain Proteins genetics, Mutagenesis, Phenotype, Plant Proteins chemistry, Plant Proteins genetics, Transcription Factors genetics, Transcription Factors metabolism, Homeodomain Proteins metabolism, Hordeum metabolism, MADS Domain Proteins metabolism, Plant Proteins metabolism
- Abstract
Cereal grain develops from fertilised florets. Alterations in floret and grain development greatly influence grain yield and quality. Despite this, little is known about the underlying genetic control of these processes, especially in key temperate cereals such as barley and wheat. Using a combination of near-isogenic mutant comparisons, gene editing and genetic analyses, we reveal that HvAPETALA2 (HvAP2) controls floret organ identity, floret boundaries, and maternal tissue differentiation and elimination during grain development. These new roles of HvAP2 correlate with changes in grain size and HvAP2-dependent expression of specific HvMADS-box genes, including the B-sister gene, HvMADS29 Consistent with this, gene editing demonstrates that HvMADS29 shares roles with HvAP2 in maternal tissue differentiation. We also discovered that a gain-of-function HvAP2 allele masks changes in floret organ identity and grain size due to loss of barley LAXATUM.A / BLADE-ON-PETIOLE2 ( HvBOP2 ) gene function. Taken together, we reveal novel pleiotropic roles and regulatory interactions for an AP2 -like gene controlling floret and grain development in a temperate cereal., Competing Interests: Competing interestsThe authors declare no competing or financial interests., (© 2021. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.)
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF