title: The effect of exogenous methyl jasmonate on the flowering time, floral organ morphology, and transcript levels of a group of genes implicated in the development of oilseed rape flowers (Brassica napus L.).
abstract: The oilseed rape plant's transition from the vegetative to the reproductive stage is important to its yield. This transition is controlled by a large group of flowering time genes that respond to environmental and endogenous cues. The role of jasmonates in flowering is almost unknown in Brassicaceae, even in the genus Arabidopsis. In this paper, the clear effect of exogenous methyl jasmonate (MeJA) on the flowering time, floral organ morphology, and transcript levels of a group of genes implicated in floral development is shown. In controlled greenhouse experiments, we found that the effect of MeJA depended on both plant genotype and jasmonate dosage. MeJA promoted maximum flowering when it was applied to the cultivars of early flowering types of oilseed rape, such as cultivars Mei-Jian and Fu-You 4. In addition, a concentration of 100 microM resulted in the most number of early open flowers, in comparison with the results obtained for concentrations of 50 and 80 microM. Furthermore, the application of high concentrations of MeJA (100 microM) also produced various kinds of abnormal flowers. Our results demonstrated that the combined actions of the floral identity genes, specifically BnAP1, BnAP2, BnAP3, BnAG1, and BnPI3, as reflected by their respective relative transcript levels, were responsible for causing the different kinds of flower abnormalities previously undescribed in oilseed rape. We expect our assay to be an enriching addition to the body of work that attempts to understand the signaling function of jasmonates in the floral inductive pathway.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Crop Science, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, 268 Kaixuan Road, 310029, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Haksong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pak
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Mingxun
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Kunming
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yuanlong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Shuijin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hua
authors.forename: Imran
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Shamsi
authors.forename: Huabing
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: Congguang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Lixi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000085:Acetates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D029688:Brassica napus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development*; D003517:Cyclopentanes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D035264:Flowers / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000187:drug effects; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000187:drug effects*; D017343:Genes, Plant / Q000235:genetics*; D056426:Genetic Loci / Q000235:genetics; D009928:Organ Specificity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D054883:Oxylipins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000085:Acetates; D003517:Cyclopentanes; D054883:Oxylipins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C072239:methyl jasmonate