Abstract
The great agronomic potential of Lupinus luteus, species widely cultivated in many European countries as well as Australia, is strongly affected by premature and excessive generative organ abscission, mainly flowers. The unwanted process takes place in a specialized group of cells, called abscission zone (AZ). During their development they become competent to respond to external and internal factors, including phytohormones. Recently it was shown that the formation of AZ cells in Arabidopsis thaliana is coordinated by transcription factors, BLADE-ON-PETIOLE (BOPs). There is no such data, excluding tobacco plants, about BOP-dependent regulation of organ abscission in crop plants. In this work, we examined LlBOP mRNA content during generative organs AZ development and functioning. The high accumulation of LlBOP transcript was accompanied by the differentiation of morphologically distinct cells at the base of the mature flower pedicel. Moreover, enhanced LlBOP expression was observed in the active AZ, and was regulated by factors, which can strongly affect generative organ abscission. All these data indicate that LlBOP is involved in the abscission zone formation and functioning in L. luteus.
Highlights
Excessive abscission of generative organs, Lupinus luteus flowers, represents important economical drawbacks for cultivators (Frankowski et al 2014; Prusinski and Borowska 2007; van Steveninck 1958)
It was shown that the formation of abscission zone (AZ) cells in Arabidopsis thaliana is coordinated by transcription factors, BLADEON-PETIOLE (BOPs)
A novel transcriptional factor encoding for BLADE-ONPETIOLE (BOP) gene was previously shown to be involved in many aspects of plant development, e.g. leaf morphogenesis, meristematic activity and organ abscission (Couzigou et al 2012; Ha et al 2003, 2004; Hepworth et al 2005; Khan et al 2014)
Summary
Excessive abscission of generative organs, Lupinus luteus flowers, represents important economical drawbacks for cultivators (Frankowski et al 2014; Prusinski and Borowska 2007; van Steveninck 1958). We examined LlBOP mRNA content during generative organs AZ development and functioning. Spain observed in the active AZ, and was regulated by factors, which can strongly affect generative organ abscission.
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