title: Diversification of C-function activity in maize flower development.
abstract: The Arabidopsis gene AGAMOUS is required for male and female reproductive organ development and for floral determinacy. Reverse genetics allowed the isolation of a transposon-induced mutation in ZAG1, the maize homolog of AGAMOUS. ZAG1 mutants exhibited a loss of determinacy, but the identity of reproductive organs was largely unaffected. This suggested a redundancy in maize sex organ specification that led to the identification and cloning of a second AGAMOUS homolog, ZMM2, that has a pattern of expression distinct from that of ZAG1. C-function organ identity in maize (as defined by the A, B, C model of floral organ development) may therefore be orchestrated by two closely related genes, ZAG1 and ZMM2, with overlapping but nonidentical activities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Center for Molecular Genetics, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA. rschmidt@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mena
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Ambrose
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Meeley
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Briggs
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Yanofsky
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D015870:Gene Expression; D017343:Genes, Plant; D026161:MADS Domain Proteins; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009024:Morphogenesis; D009154:Mutation; D010641:Phenotype; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018749:RNA, Plant / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D003313:Zea mays / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D026161:MADS Domain Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018749:RNA, Plant; D014157:Transcription Factors; C083027:ZAG1 protein, Zea mays