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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Agrobacterium-Mediated Immature Embryo Transformation of Recalcitrant Maize Inbred Lines Using Morphogenic Genes

Agrobacterium-Mediated Immature Embryo Transformation of Recalcitrant Maize Inbred Lines Using Morphogenic Genes

Published on: February 14, 2020

Getting domestication straight: ramosa1 in maize.

Hannes Dempewolf¹

¹The Biodiversity Research Centre and Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, 3529-6270 University Blvd, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4 Canada. handem@biodiversity.ubc.ca

Molecular Ecology

|May 12, 2010

Summary

Researchers discovered a new maize domestication gene, ramosa1, crucial for kernel row straightness. This finding highlights the role of genetic variation and transcriptional regulators in plant domestication.

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Area of Science:

Plant genetics
Evolutionary biology
Agricultural science

Background:

Understanding plant domestication requires identifying genes responsible for phenotypic differences between crops and wild ancestors.
Maize (Zea mays) domestication provides a model for studying crop evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

To discover and characterize new genes involved in the domestication of maize.
To investigate the role of the identified gene in determining key domestication traits.

Main Methods:

Genetic analysis of maize landraces.
Identification of candidate domestication genes.
Characterization of gene function in plant development.

Main Results:

Discovery of a novel maize domestication gene, ramosa1.
Ramona1 encodes a transcription factor regulating the maize cob's kernel row straightness.
Domestication alleles of ramosa1 are common in maize landraces.

Conclusions:

Ramona1 is a key gene in maize domestication, influencing kernel row architecture.
The study underscores the significance of standing genetic variation and altered transcriptional regulation in crop evolution.
Findings contribute to understanding evolutionary responses to human-induced selection.