Plant Physiology Preview
Published on March 16, 2007; 10.1104/pp.107.095802
OPEN ACCESS ARTICLE
Received January 12, 2007
Accepted March 10, 2007
A Picea abies FT Homolog Is Implicated in Control of Growth Rhythm in Conifers
Niclas Gyllenstrand , David Clapham , Thomas Källman , and Ulf Lagercrantz *
Department of Evolutionary Functional Genomics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden ; Department of Plant Biology and Forest Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
* Corresponding author; email: ulf.lagercrantz{at}ebc.uu.se.
Growth in perennial plants possesses an annual cycle of active growth and dormancy that is controlled by environmental factors, mainly photoperiod and temperature. In conifers and other non-angiosperm species, the molecular mechanisms behind these responses are currently unknown. In Norway spruce seedlings, growth cessation and bud set is induced by short days, and plants from southern latitudes require at least 7-10 h dark, while plants from northern latitudes need only 2-3 h night. Bud burst on the other hand is almost exclusively controlled by temperature. To test the possible role of P. abies FT-like genes in growth rhythm, we have studied expression patterns of four P. abies FT family genes in two populations with divergent bud set response under various photoperiodic conditions. Our data show a significant and tight correlation between growth rhythm (both bud set and bud burst), and expression pattern of one of the four P. abies PEBP gene family members (PaFT4), over a variety of experimental conditions. The present study strongly suggests that one Picea abies homolog to the FT gene, that control flowering in angiosperms, is also a key integrator of photoperiodic and thermal signals in the control of growth rhythms in gymnosperms. The data also indicates that the divergent adaptive bud set responses of northern and southern P. abies populations, both to photoperiod and light quality, are mediated through PaFT4. These results provide a major advance in our understanding of the molecular control of a major adaptive trait in conifers, and a tool for further molecular studies of adaptive variation in plants.
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