title: Suppression of B function strongly supports the modified ABCE model in Tricyrtis sp. (Liliaceae).
abstract: B class MADS-box genes play important roles in petal and stamen development. Some monocotyledonous species, including liliaceous ones, produce flowers with petaloid tepals in whorls 1 and 2. A modified ABCE model has been proposed to explain the molecular mechanism of development of two-layered petaloid tepals. However, direct evidence for this modified ABCE model has not been reported to date. To clarify the molecular mechanism determining the organ identity of two-layered petaloid tepals, we used chimeric repressor gene-silencing technology (CRES-T) to examine the suppression of B function in the liliaceous ornamental Tricyrtis sp. Transgenic plants with suppressed B class genes produced sepaloid tepals in whorls 1 and 2 instead of the petaloid tepals as expected. In addition, the stamens of transgenic plants converted into pistil-like organs with ovule- and stigma-like structures. This report is the first to describe the successful suppression of B function in monocotyledonous species with two-layered petaloid tepals, and the results strongly support the modified ABCE model.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agriculture, Niigata University, 2-8050 Ikarashi, Nishi-ku, Niigata 950-2181, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Otani
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Ornamental Plant Biotechnology Research Department, Iranian Academic Center for Education, Culture &Research, Khorasan Razavi Branch, P.O.Box 91775-1163, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sharifi
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Katahira 2-1-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan.|Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan.|College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Shosei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kubota
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Katahira 2-1-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan.
authors.forename: Kanako
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oizumi
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Katahira 2-1-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan.
authors.forename: Fumi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Uetake
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Katahira 2-1-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan.
authors.forename: Masayo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirai
authors.affiliation: Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, Kita 11, Nishi 10, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0811, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hoshino
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Katahira 2-1-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kanno
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agriculture, Niigata University, 2-8050 Ikarashi, Nishi-ku, Niigata 950-2181, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakano
mesh_terms: D035264:Flowers; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D017343:Genes, Plant; D019668:Liliaceae / Q000235:genetics*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008957:Models, Genetic; D010802:Phylogeny; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction