MADS-box Genes and Floral Development: the Dark Side

• Published in: Journal of experimental botany Vol. 63; no. 15; pp. 5397 - 5404
• Main Authors: Heijmans, Klaas, Morel, Patrice, Vandenbussche, Michiel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press [etc.] 01.09.2012; OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS; Oxford University Press; Oxford University Press (OUP)
• Subjects: Angiospermae; Biological and medical sciences; Biology and morphogenesis of the reproductive apparatus. Photoperiodism, vernalisation; Calyx; evolution; Evolution, Molecular; Flowering; FLOWERING NEWSLETTER REVIEW; Flowers; Flowers - genetics; Flowers - growth & development; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene expression regulation; Genes; genetics; growth & development; Life Sciences; MADS Domain Proteins; MADS Domain Proteins - genetics; MADS Domain Proteins - metabolism; Magnoliophyta; Magnoliopsida; Magnoliopsida - genetics; Magnoliopsida - growth & development; Meristems; metabolism; niches; Petals; Phylogeny; Plant cells; Plant physiology and development; Plant Proteins; Plant Proteins - genetics; Plant Proteins - metabolism; Plants; proteins; Repression; transcription factors; Vegetal Biology; Vegetative and sexual reproduction, floral biology, fructification; Flower; Architecture; Modeling; Floral biology; Conserved sequence; floral evolution; Gene; Structural unit; floral architecture; Petunia; ABC model; Dicotyledones; DNA; Angiospermae; Botany; Flowering; Multigene family; flower development; Herbaceous plant; Spermatophyta; Solanaceae; MADS-box gene family; Transcription factor; ARABIDOPSIS-THALIANA; SEED DEVELOPMENT; FEMALE GAMETOPHYTE; ORGAN IDENTITY; CENTRAL CELL; HOMEOTIC GENE; ECTOPIC EXPRESSION; ENDOSPERM DEVELOPMENT; ANTIRRHINUM-MAJUS
• ISSN: 0022-0957; 1460-2431; 1460-2431
• DOI: 10.1093/jxb/ers233

The origin of the flower during evolution has been a crucial step in further facilitating plants to colonize a wide range of different niches on our planet. The >250 000 species of flowering plants existing today display an astonishing diversity in floral architecture. For this reason, the flower is a very attractive subject for evolutionary developmental (evo-devo) genetics studies. Research during the last two decades has provided compelling evidence that the origin and functional diversification of MIKCc MADS-box transcription factors has played a critical role during evolution of flowering plants. As master regulators of floral organ identity, MADS-box proteins are at the heart of the classic ABC model for floral development. Despite the enormous progress made in the field of floral development, there still remain aspects that are less well understood. Here we highlight some of the dark corners within our current knowledge on MADS-box genes and flower development, which would be worthwhile investigating in more detail in future research. These include the general question of to what extent MADS-box gene functions are conserved between species, the function of TM8-clade MADS-box genes which so far have remained uncharacterized, the divergence within the A-function, and post-transcriptional regulation of the ABC-genes.