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Plant function and evolutionary biology
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Early increased expression of a cyclin-dependant protein kinase (LtCDKA1;1) during inflorescence initiation of the long day grass Lolium temulentum

Greg F. W. Gocal A B C and Rod W. King B D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Botany and Zoology, The Australian National University, GPO Box 475, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.

B Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Division of Plant Industry, GPO Box 1600, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.

C Present address: Cibus US LLC, 6455 Nancy Ridge Drive, San Diego, CA 92121, USA.

D Corresponding author. Email: rwerking@gmail.com

Functional Plant Biology 40(10) 986-995 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP12294
Submitted: 4 October 2012  Accepted: 25 March 2013   Published: 4 June 2013

Abstract

Knowing where and when different genes express at the shoot apex during the transition to flowering will help in understanding this developmental switch. The CDKA family of serine/threonine kinase genes are appropriate candidates for such developmental switching as they are involved in the regulation of the G1/S and G2/M boundaries of the cell cycle (see review by Dudits et al. 2007) and so could regulate increases of cell division associated with flowering. Furthermore, in rice stems the gibberellin (GA) class of plant growth regulators rapidly upregulate CDKA expression and cell division. Thus, CDKA expression might be linked to the florigenic action of GA as a photoperiodically-generated, signal. For the grass Lolium temulentum L., we have isolated an LtCDKA1;1 gene, which is upregulated in shoot apices collected soon after the start of a single florally inductive long day (LD). In contrast to weak expression of LtCDKA1;1 in the vegetative shoot apex, in situ and PCR-based mRNA assays and immunological studies of its protein show very rapid increases in the apical dome at the time that florigenic signals arrive at the apex (<6 h after the end of the LD). By ~54 h LtCDKA1;1 mRNA is localised to the floral target cells, the spikelet primordia. Later both LtCDKA1;1 mRNA and protein are most evident in floret meristems. Only ~10% of cells within the apical dome are dividing at any time but the LD increase in LtCDKA1;1 may reflect an early transient increase in the mitotic index (Jacqmard et al. 1993) as well as a later increase when spikelet primordia form. Increased expression of an AP1-like gene (LtMADS2) follows that of LtCDKA1;1. Overall, LtCDKA1;1 is a useful marker of both early florigenic signalling and of later morphological/developmental aspects of the floral transition.

Additional keywords: CDKA, cell division, flower development, inflorescence initiation, Lolium temulentum, serine/threonine kinase.


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