tasselseed1 is a lipoxygenase affecting jasmonic acid signaling in sex determination of maize.
Sex determination in maize is controlled by a developmental cascade leading to the formation of unisexual florets derived from an initially bisexual floral meristem. Abortion of pistil primordia in staminate florets is controlled by a tasselseed-mediated cell death process. We positionally cloned and characterized the function of the sex determination gene tasselseed1 (ts1). The TS1 protein encodes a plastid-targeted lipoxygenase with predicted 13-lipoxygenase specificity, which suggests that TS1 may be involved in the biosynthesis of the plant hormone jasmonic acid. In the absence of a functional ts1 gene, lipoxygenase activity was missing and endogenous jasmonic acid concentrations were reduced in developing inflorescences. Application of jasmonic acid to developing inflorescences rescued stamen development in mutant ts1 and ts2 inflorescences, revealing a role for jasmonic acid in male flower development in maize.
Acosta
Iván F
IF
Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
Laparra
Hélène
H
Romero
Sandra P
SP
Schmelz
Eric
E
Hamberg
Mats
M
Mottinger
John P
JP
Moreno
Maria A
MA
Dellaporta
Stephen L
SL
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003517:Cyclopentanes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D035264:Flowers / Q000254:growth & development; D017343:Genes, Plant; D008084:Lipoxygenase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D054883:Oxylipins / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D018087:Plastids / Q000201:enzymology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D003313:Zea mays / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*
D003517:Cyclopentanes; D054883:Oxylipins; D010940:Plant Proteins; C109352:TS2 protein, Zea mays; C117456:tasselseed1 protein, Zea mays; C011006:jasmonic acid; C117433:13-lipoxygenase; D008084:Lipoxygenase