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Flower Development
Flower Development
Flower Development
BL5400
Steps of flower development
• Apical meristem
• Inflorescence meristem
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Flower development: stages 1-7. (A) SEM image of the inflorescence meristem (i) and floral stages 1-5. The floral stages are labeled with the corresponding num-
ber. The medial (m) and lateral (l) axes are labeled on a stage 5 flower. The abaxial (ab) and adaxial (ad) sides of a stage 4 flower are labeled relative to the inflorescence meris-
tem. (B) SEM of a late stage 5 floral meristem that has formed a flattened oval where the gynoecium will arise. Arrowheads point to the petal primordia and two of the medial
stamens are labeled
(C) SEM of a stage 6 flower showing the beginning of formation of the gynoecium as a ridge of raised cells around a central cleft (arrow). A lateral sta-
men is labeled l. (D) Longitudinal section of a stage 6 gynoecium. The arrow points to the central cleft. (E) Cross section of a stage 6 gynoecium. (F) SEM of a stage 7 gynoe-
cium showing the vertical growth of the tube. (G) Longitudinal section of a stage 7 gynoecium. (H) Transverse section of a late-stage 7 or early-stage 8 gynoecium. Scale bar
in D represents 22 μm. A-D: from Sessions, 1997. E-G: Reprinted from Current Topics in Developmental Biology, 45, Bowman, J.L., Baum, S.F., Eshed, Y., Putterill, J., and
Alvarez, J., Molecular genetics of gynoecium development in Arabidopsis, 155-205, Copyright (1999), with permission from Elsevier. H: from Hill and Lord, 1989.
Organ identity genes
ABC model
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ABC model overview
• Simple rule that underlie the whorl specifications using floral
homeotic mutants
• The MADS box genes in flowering plants are the "molecular architects" of
flower morphogenesis.
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deficiens gene is involved in
the flower morphogenesis in
snapdragon
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Sommer et al, 1990. The EMBO Journal vol 9 no. 3 pp. 605-613
A-group specific gene, APETALA1 control petal development
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* APETALA and PISTILATA genes encode MADS domain and are necessary and
sufficient to specify petal and stamen identity in the flower
•AP3/PI hetero-dimer binds to the sequence in the AP3 promoter that are necessary
for AP3t expression and can activate transcription in absence of protein synthesis
-Flowers with this mutation have petals in whorl 3 instead of stamens, and
sepals in whorl 4 instead of carpels.
-the floral meristem is not determinate - flowers continue to form within the
flowers, so the pattern of organs (from outside to inside) is: sepal, petal,
petal; sepal, petal, petal; sepal, petal, petal, etc.
http://biology.kenyon.edu/courses/biol114/Chap13/Chapter_12C.html
B and C floral organ identity functions require SEPALLATA MADS-box genes
a, Wild-type flower consisting of four sepals, four petals, six stamens and two fused carpels. b, sep1 sep2 sep3 triple
mutant flower in which the four petals and six stamens are replaced by sepaloid organs and carpels are replaced by
a new flower that repeats this same phenotype. In addition, there is internode elongation between internal flowers,
presumably because of a functional ERECTA gene. c, Dissected sep1 sep2 sep3 triple mutant flower with first-whorl
sepals (top), second and third whorl sepaloid organs (middle), and a new flower (bottom) that replaces the carpels.
d, pi ag (bc) double mutant that reiterates the same sepal, sepal, sepal phenotype. e, Abaxial surface of wild-type sepal.
f, Abaxial surface of wild-type petal. g, Abaxial surface of sep1 sep2 sep3 second-whorl sepaloid organ. h, Abaxial
surface of sep1 sep2 sep3 third-whorl sepaloid organ. Arrows indicate several stomata. Scale bar in e–h: 50 microm.
Pelaz et al, 2000. Nature 405, 200-203
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A, proposed model on the basis of homeotic mutants such as ag and genetic interactions among such mutants
b. Cloning and gain of function mutants in various combinations
c. Current understanding of the activation of floral identity genes
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