title: Ethylene advances the transition from vegetative growth to flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana.
abstract: The transition from vegetative growth to flowering is the most drastic change in plant development. In order to examine the involvement of ethylene in growth transition, we compared the development of ethylene-related mutants, eto1, etr1, ein2-1 and ein3-1, with the wild type (WT) in Arabidopsis thaliana. The ethylene sensitivity of two WT and the mutants is decreased in the following order: eto1 = WT < ein3-1 < ein2-1 = etr1-1. Bolting time was also delayed in nearly the same order: eto1 < WT < ein3-1 < ein2-1 < etr1. Leaf numbers increased according to the delay of bolting time, indicating that the delay of bolting time was caused by the delay of transition from vegetative to reproductive growth. Other growth parameters, including leaf area and number of flowers opening at the same time, increased in the same order, indicating that these changes were caused by a single factor, the amount of ethylene signal which was transferred though an ethylene signal transduction pathway. These results suggest that ethylene is involved in the transition from vegetative to reproductive growth in Arabidopsis thaliana.
authors.affiliation: Gene Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ogawara
authors.forename: Katsumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Higashi
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kamada
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ezura
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005030:Ethylenes / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D035264:Flowers / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D010940:Plant Proteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D014157:Transcription Factors
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C119963:EIN2 protein, Arabidopsis; C106987:EIN3 protein, Arabidopsis; D005030:Ethylenes; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D014157:Transcription Factors; C093680:ethylene-responsive element binding protein; C036216:ethylene