Functional evolution of the APETALA1/FRUITFULL gene lineage
Item
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Title
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Functional evolution of the APETALA1/FRUITFULL gene lineage
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Identifier
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d_2009_2013:063a2a11929f:11344
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identifier
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11763
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Creator
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Pabon-Mora, Natalia,
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Contributor
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Amy Litt
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Date
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2012
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Botany | Genetics | Biology | APETALA1 | Flower Development | Fruit Development | FRUITFULL | Leaf Development
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Abstract
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Several MADS-box gene lineages involved in flower development have undergone duplications that correlate with the diversification of large groups of flowering plants. In the APETALA1 gene lineage, a major duplication coincides with the origin of the core eudicots, resulting in the euFUL and the euAP1 clades. Arabidopsis FRUITFULL (FUL) and APETALA1 ( AP1) function redundantly in specifying floral meristem identity, but function independently in sepal and petal identity (AP1) and in proper fruit development and determinacy (FUL). Many of these functions are largely conserved in other core-eudicot euAP1 and euFUL genes, but notably the role of APETALA1 as an "A-function" (sepal and petal identity) gene is thought to be Brassicaceae-specific. Understanding how functional divergence of the core-eudicot duplicates occurred requires a careful examination of the function of pre-duplication (FUL-like) genes. Using Virus Induced Gene Silencing (VIGS), it is shown that FUL-like genes in Papaver somniferum (opium poppy) and Eschscholzia californica (California poppy) function in axillary meristem growth and in floral meristem and sepal identity, and play a key role in fruit development. Interestingly, in opium poppy, these genes also control flowering time and petal identity, suggesting that AP1/FUL homologs might have been independently recruited in petal organ identity. In contrast, it is shown that the Aquilegia coerulea FUL-like homolog does not appear to play a role in flower or fruit development and instead has been recruited in leaf morphogenesis. In general the FUL-like gene functional repertoire encompasses all roles previously described for the core-eudicot euAP1 and euFUL genes, and subfunctionalization can be postulated as the functional outcome after the major AP1/FUL gene lineage duplication event. However, these results also point to significant functional variability of FUL-like genes within Ranunculales, most likely due to gene duplication and loss, as well as changes of FUL-like protein partners in different taxa.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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2009_2013.csv
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Biology
