Letter abstract
Nature Genetics 39, 901 - 905 (2007)
Published online: 24 June 2007 | doi:10.1038/ng2056
A conserved microRNA module exerts homeotic control over Petunia hybrida and Antirrhinum majus floral organ identity
Maria Cartolano1, Rosa Castillo1, Nadia Efremova1, Markus Kuckenberg1, Jan Zethof2, Tom Gerats2, Zsuzsanna Schwarz-Sommer1 & Michiel Vandenbussche2
It is commonly thought that deep phylogenetic conservation of plant microRNAs (miRNAs) and their targets1, 2 indicates conserved regulatory functions. We show that the blind (bl) mutant of Petunia hybrida3 and the fistulata (fis) mutant of Antirrhinum majus4, 5, which have similar homeotic phenotypes, are recessive alleles of two homologous miRNA-encoding genes. The BL and FIS genes control the spatial restriction of homeotic class C genes6, 7 to the inner floral whorls, but their ubiquitous early floral expression patterns are in contradiction with a potential role in patterning C gene expression. We provide genetic evidence for the unexpected function of the MIRFIS and MIRBL genes in the center of the flower and propose a dynamic mechanism underlying their regulatory role. Notably, Arabidopsis thaliana, a more distantly related species, also contains this miRNA module but does not seem to use it to confine early C gene expression to the center of the flower.
- Max Planck Institut für Züchtungsforschung, Plant Molecular Genetics Department, Carl-von-Linne-Weg 10, 50829 Köln, Germany.
- Radboud University Nijmegen, Institute for Wetlands and Water Research, Plant Genetics Toernooiveld 1, 6525 ED Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Correspondence to: Zsuzsanna Schwarz-Sommer1 e-mail: schwarzs@mpiz-koeln.mpg.de
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