Reference "Ectopic expression of OsYAB1 causes extra stamens and carpels in rice"

Reference ID

11367

Title

Ectopic expression of OsYAB1 causes extra stamens and carpels in rice

Source

Plant molecular biology, 2004, vol. 56, pp. 133-143

Authors (6)

Jang-S	Hur-J
Kim-S-J	Han-M-J
Kim-S-R	An-G

Abstract

Members in the YABBY gene family of proteins are plant-specific transcription
factors that play critical roles in determining organ polarity. We have isolated
a cDNA clone from rice that encodes a YABBY protein. This protein, OsYAB1, is
similar to Arabidopsis YAB2 (50.3%) and YAB5 (47.6%). It carries a zinc-finger
motif and a YABBY domain, as do those in Arabidopsis . A fusion protein between
OsYAB1 and GFP is located in the nucleus. RNA gel-blot analysis showed that the
OsYAB1 gene is preferentially expressed in flowers. In-situ hybridization
experiments also indicated that the transcript accumulated in the stamen and
carpel primordia. Unlike the Arabidopsis YABBY genes, however, the OsYAB1 gene
does not show polar expression pattern in the tissues of floral organs. Our
transgenic plants that ectopically expressed OsYAB1 were normal during the
vegetative growth period, but then showed abnormalities in their floral
structures. Spikelets contained supernumerary stamens and carpels compared with
those of the wild types. These results suggest that OsYAB1 plays a major role in
meristem development and maintenance of stamens and carpels, rather than in
determining polarity.