Control of Arabidopsis flowering: the chill before the bloom.
The timing of the floral transition has significant consequences for reproductive success in plants. Plants gauge both environmental and endogenous signals before switching to reproductive development. Many temperate species only flower after they have experienced a prolonged period of cold, a process known as vernalization, which aligns flowering with the favourable conditions of spring. Considerable progress has been made in understanding the molecular basis of vernalization in Arabidopsis. A central player in this process is FLC, which blocks flowering by inhibiting genes required to switch the meristem from vegetative to floral development. Recent data shows that many regulators of FLC alter chromatin structure or are involved in RNA processing.
Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Colney Lane, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK.
Ian R
IR
Henderson
Caroline
C
Dean
D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D003080:Cold Temperature; D035264:Flowers / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000502:physiology; D008029:Lighting; D026161:MADS Domain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000502:physiology
D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; C418902:At5g10140 protein, Arabidopsis; D026161:MADS Domain Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger