Analysis of the gene regulatory network underlying reproductive floral organ development through gene perturbation experiments

Abstract

Homeosis or homeotic transformation refers to the formation of one body structure or organ in place of another. For more than two decades, the floral homeotic genes have been at the center of intense studies that showed how they specify the identity of floral organs by acting in different combinations within distinct floral whorls. The specification of the floral organ identity by the homeotic genes is described by the ABCE model, which represents a milestone in the field of flower development and illustrates how the activity of different classes of transcription factors cooperate to specify the development of sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels.