title: From the model to the crop: genes controlling tuber formation in potato.
abstract: Photoperiod regulates many different developmental processes, including floral induction in several species and tuber formation in potato. Research in Arabidopsis led to the identification of FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) as a main component of the florigen or mobile flowering promoting signal produced in the leaves. A similar mobile signal or tuberigen has been reported to induce tuber formation in potato, recent evidence obtained in our laboratory indicates that a potato homolog of FT encodes this signal. Flowering regulators, like CONSTANS and miR172, also play a role in tuberization, although it remains unclear whether these regulators function in identical pathways. Here, we highlight differential regulation of these genes in flowering and tuberization control and discuss on their possible tuberization-related function.
authors.affiliation: Dpto. de Genética Molecular de Plantas, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología-CSIC, Campus de Cantoblanco, c/Darwin 3, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Abelenda
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Navarro
authors.forename: Salomé
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Prat
mesh_terms: D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D008954:Models, Biological; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011198:Solanum tuberosum / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins