title: The spatial expression patterns of DROOPING LEAF orthologs suggest a conserved function in grasses.
abstract: The DROOPING LEAF (DL) gene regulates carpel specification in the flower and midrib formation in the leaf in Oryza sativa (rice). Loss-of-function mutations in the dl locus cause homeotic transformation of carpels into stamens and lack of midrib, resulting in the drooping leaf phenotype. DL is a member of the YABBY gene family and is closely related to the CRABS CLAW (CRC) gene in Arabidopsis thaliana. The function of Arabidopsis CRC, however, differs from that of rice DL: it is responsible for nectary development and is partially involved in carpel identity. Thus, genes related to DL/CRC seem to have functionally diversified during angiosperm evolution. To assess the conservation of DL function in related species, here we examined the in situ expression patterns of DL orthologs in three grass species, i.e., maize, wheat and sorghum, which is assigned to subfamilies different from Ehrhartoideae including O. sativa. The results clearly show that the temporal and spatial expression patterns of DL orthologs in the three species are identical to those of rice DL in both flower and leaf development, suggesting that DL-related genes are functionally conserved within the grass family. It is likely that DL may have been recruited to carpel specification and midrib formation within the lineage of the grass family after divergence of their ancestor from that of eudicots.
authors: Graduate School of Agricultural Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyu-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Motokazu
authors: M
authors: Ishikawa
authors: Yoshihiro
authors: Y
authors: Ohmori
authors: Wakana
authors: W
authors: Tanaka
authors: Chizuru
authors: C
authors: Hirabayashi
authors: Koji
authors: K
authors: Murai
authors: Yasunari
authors: Y
authors: Ogihara
authors: Takahiro
authors: T
authors: Yamaguchi
authors: Hiro-Yuki
authors: HY
authors: Hirano
mesh_terms: D035264:Flowers / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D010802:Phylogeny; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D006109:Poaceae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D045868:Sorghum / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D014908:Triticum / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D003313:Zea mays / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins