Abstract
According to the floral organ development ABC model, B class genes specify petal and stamen identification. In order to study the function of B class genes in flower development of Tagetes erecta, five MADS-box B class genes were identified and their expression and putative functions were studied. Sequence comparisons and phylogenetic analyses indicated that there were one PI-like gene—TePI, two euAP3-like genes—TeAP3-1 and TeAP3-2, and two TM6-like genes—TeTM6-1 and TeTM6-2 in T. erecta. Strong expression levels of these genes were detected in stamens of the disk florets, but little or no expression was detected in bracts, receptacles or vegetative organs. Yeast hybrid experiments of the B class proteins showed that TePI protein could form a homodimer and heterodimers with all the other four B class proteins TeAP3-1, TeAP3-2, TeTM6-1 and TeTM6-2. No homodimer or interaction was observed between the euAP3 and TM6 clade members. Over-expression of five B class genes of T. erecta in Nicotiana rotundifolia showed that only the transgenic plants of 35S::TePI showed altered floral morphology compared with the non-transgenic line. This study could contribute to the understanding of the function of B class genes in flower development of T. erecta, and provide a theoretical basis for further research to change floral organ structures and create new materials for plant breeding.
Highlights
Tagetes erecta is a commercial plant renowned for its significant ornamental, industrial and medicinal usage [1,2,3]
Based on the transcriptome sequence [29], full-length cDNA clones of five B class genes of T. erecta were isolated from a cDNA library constructed from flower buds 5 mm in diameter
The open reading frame (ORF) of cDNA sequences and predicted amino acid sequences were aligned in S1 Fig and Fig 1
Summary
Tagetes erecta is a commercial plant renowned for its significant ornamental, industrial and medicinal usage [1,2,3]. It is a member of the Asteraceae which is characterized by the structure of a terminal capitulum. Its unique inflorescence comprises hundreds of florets of two types, ray florets in the periphery and disk florets in the center. The ray florets have three whorls of PLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0169777. MADS-Box B Class Genes of Tagetes erecta collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
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