Complementary floral homeotic phenotypes result from opposite orientations of a transposon at the plena locus of Antirrhinum

Article Abstract:

Recessive mutations at the plena (ple) locus of Antirrhinum majus results in replacement of sex organs by perianth organs, while the semidominant homeotic mutation, ovulata, confers the opposite phenotype. The ple locus of A. majus was isolated using the agamous gene from Arabidopsis as a probe. In wild type flowers, ple is expressed only in whorls 3 and 4. Molecular characterization of the ple and ovulata mutations showed that ovulata can result from transposon Tam3 insertion within the large intron of ple, and the complementary phenotypes result from opposite orientations of the transposon.

author: Bradley, Desmond, Carpenter, Rosemary, Sommer, Hans, Hartley, Nigel, Coen, Enrico
Plants, Plant development, Snapdragons

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Anatomy of a flexer-DNA complex inside a higher-order transposition intermediate

Article Abstract:

The Escherichia coli HU flexer-Mu transpososome complex, present inside a higher-order transposition intermediate, contains a significant DNA bend. HU is a nonsequence-specific histone- and HMG-like DNA-binding protein. One HU heterodimer binds in a globally-symmetrical, site-specific and orientation-specific manner with Mu. Each HU heterodimer consists of two subunits that are functionally inequal. The HU-DNA complex shows major and minor groove cleavages.

author: Lavoie, Brigitte D., Chaconas, George, Shaw, Gary S., Millner, Anders
Analysis, Escherichia coli, Molecular structure, DNA binding proteins

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The indeterminate gene encodes a zinc finger protein and regulates a leaf-generated signal required for the transition to flowering in maize

Article Abstract:

The morphological development of generative organs in plants is dictated by signals called florigens. In corn, the transition from the vegetative to reproductive tissues of the apical meristem is regulated by the indeterminate gene which codes for a protein with two zinc finger motifs suggestive of its role in gene regulation. This protein is expressed in young leaves and acts as a hormone to induce flowering in corn.

author: Sundaresan, Venkatesan, Yuan, Zhuang, Colasanti, Joseph
Corn

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subjects list: Research, Genetic aspects, Plants, Flowering of, Plant flowering, Transposons, Physiological aspects
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