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Published on: July 23, 2014
The control of spikelet meristem identity by the branched silkless1 gene in maize
George Chuck1, Michael Muszynski, Elizabeth Kellogg
1Plant Gene Expression Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, 800 Buchanan Street, Albany, CA 94710, USA. gchuck@nature.berkeley.edu
Abstract:
Most of the world's food supply is derived from cereal grains that are borne in a unique structure called the spikelet, the fundamental unit of inflorescence architecture in all grasses. branched silkless1 (bd1) is a maize mutation that alters the identity of the spikelet meristem, causing indeterminate branches to form in place of spikelets. We show that bd1 encodes a putative ERF transcription factor that is conserved in different grasses and is expressed in a distinct domain of the spikelet meristem. Its expression pattern suggests that signaling pathways regulate meristem identity from lateral domains of the spikelet meristem.
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