title: ERAMOSA controls lateral branching in snapdragon.
abstract: Plant forms display a wide variety of architectures, depending on the number of lateral branches, internode elongation and phyllotaxy. These are in turn determined by the number, the position and the fate of the Axillary Meristems (AMs). Mutants that affect AM determination during the vegetative phase have been isolated in several model plants. Among these genes, the GRAS transcription factor LATERAL SUPPRESSOR (Ls) plays a pivotal role in AM determination during the vegetative phase. Hereby we characterize the phylogenetic orthologue of Ls in Antirrhinum, ERAMOSA (ERA). Our data supported ERA control of AM formation during both the vegetative and the reproductive phase in snapdragon. A phylogenetic analysis combined with an analysis of the synteny of Ls in several species strongly supported the hypothesis that ERA is a phylogenetic orthologue of Ls, although it plays a broader role. During the reproductive phase ERA promotes the establishment of the stem niche at the bract axis but, after the reproductive transition, it is antagonized by the MADS box transcription factor SQUAMOSA (SQUA). Surprisingly double mutant era squa plants display a squa phenotype developing axillary meristems, which can eventually turn into inflorescences or flowers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mizzotti
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Bianca M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Galliani
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Ludovico
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dreni
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institut fuer Zuechtungsforschung, Carl-von-Linne-Weg 10, 50829 Koeln, Germany.
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sommer
authors.affiliation: Department of Horticulture, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA.
authors.forename: Aureliano
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bombarely
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Masiero
mesh_terms: D032161:Antirrhinum / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004843:Epistasis, Genetic; D035264:Flowers / Q000502:physiology; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D018519:Meristem / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D010641:Phenotype; D010802:Phylogeny; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D055503:Protein Multimerization; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D026801:Synteny / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins