Abstract
The mechanism of floral transition in bamboo remains unclear. Dendrocalamus latiflorus (Bambusease, Bambusoideae, Poaceae) is an economically and ecologically important clumping bamboo in tropical and subtropical areas. We evaluated morphological characteristics and gene expression profiling to study floral induction and early flower development in D. latiflorus. The detailed morphological studies on vegetative buds and floral organography were completed using paraffin sectioning and scanning electron microscopy. The 3 mm floral buds commence the development of stamen primordia and pistil primordium. Furthermore, homologs of floral transition-related genes, including AP1, TFL1, RFL, PpMADS1, PpMADS2, SPL9, FT, ID1, FCA, and EMF2, were detected and quantified by reverse transcriptase PCR and real-time PCR in vegetative and floral buds, respectively. Distinct expression profiles of ten putative floral initiation homologues that corresponded to the developmental stages defined by bud length were obtained and genes were characterized. Six of the genes (including DlTFL1, DlRFL, DlMADS2, DlID1, DlFCA, DlEMF2) showed statistically significant changes in expression during floral transition. DlAP1 demonstrated a sustained downward trend and could serve as a good molecular marker during floral transition in D. latiflorus. The combined analysis provided key candidate markers to track the transition from the vegetative to reproductive phase.
Highlights
Bamboo is a member of the perennial evergreens in the grass family (Poaceae) and one of the most important forest resources [1]
Quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR was used to determine the expression levels of TERMINAL FLOWER1 (TFL1), RFL, AP1, FCA, FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT), ID1, Squamosal promoter-binding-like protein 9 (SPL9), PplMADS1, PpMADS2, and EMF2 homologues in D. latiflorus during floral transition and flower formation
The studies of morphological development of vegetative and floral buds in D. latiflorus are based on the methods of paraffin sectioning and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis [26]
Summary
Bamboo is a member of the perennial evergreens in the grass family (Poaceae) and one of the most important forest resources [1]. Bamboo plants possess certain unique biological characteristics which significantly differ from other land plants, including fast shoot growth, a long duration of vegetative phase (3 to 120 years depending on the species), semelparity, and mast flowering [3,4]. Single and double mutant phenotype analysis showed that Squamosal promoter-binding-like protein 9 (SPL9) gene acts redundantly in controlling the juvenile-to-adult phase transition [25]. Quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to determine the expression levels of TFL1, RFL, AP1, FCA, FT, ID1, SPL9, PplMADS1, PpMADS2, and EMF2 homologues in D. latiflorus during floral transition and flower formation. A series of landmark events in the development of morphological characters and the changes in gene expression were found during floral induction and early floral development Together, these can be used to predict the identity of the buds that gave rise to vegetative or reproductive state
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