title: Identification and expression profile of GbAGL2, a C-class gene from Gossypium barbadense.
abstract: An AGAMOUS (AG)-like gene, GbAGL2, was isolated from Gossypium barbadense and characterized. Alignment and phylogenetic analysis indicated that GbAGL2 shared high homology with AG-subfamily genes and belonged to a C-class gene family. DNA gel blot analysis showed that GbAGL2 belonged to a low-copy gene family. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) revealed that GbAGL2 was highly expressed in reproductive tissues including ovules and carpels, but barely expressed in vegetative tissues. In addition, GbAGL2 expression in a cotton cultivar XuZhou142 (wt) (XZ142, G. hirsutum L.) and its fibreless mutant XZ142 (fl) was examined. RNA in situ hybridization analysis indicated that GbAGL2 transcripts were preferentially restricted to outer ovule integuments, carpels and fibres. These expression patterns implied that GbAGL2 might participate in the development of the carpel and ovule. Furthermore, Arabidopsis transformation was performed and modifications occurred in flowers, and the silique length of transgenic plants also increased slightly, suggesting that the GbAGL2 gene may have a positive effect on the development of the ovary or ovule. Our findings suggest that GbAGL2 might not only specify the identity of floral organs but also play a potential key role in ovary or fibre development in cotton.
authors.affiliation: Plant Biotechnology Research Center, Fudan-SJTU-Nottingham Plant Biotechnology R and D Center, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Kaijing
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zuo
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jieting
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Lida
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiaofen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Kexuan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D032561:Cotton Fiber; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D017343:Genes, Plant; D003368:Gossypium / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010641:Phenotype; D010802:Phylogeny; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins