| Abstract Detail
Development and Structure Zhang, Jingbo [1], Tong, Jingjing [1], Clement, Wendy [2], Donoghue, Michael [3], Howarth, Dianella [1]. Spatial expressions of CUC paralogs in the fused organs of honeysuckles. Honeysuckles (Lonicera, Caprifoliaceae) exhibit multiple examples of the fusion in floral parts (e.g., petals and ovaries) and outside of flowers (e.g., perfoliate leaves and cupules derived from fused bracteoles). The CUP SHAPED COTYLEDON (CUC) genes from the Ia subfamily of the NAC gene family have been shown to affect boundary formation across angiosperms. Our previous gene genealogy studies found two major copies of the CUC1/2 (CUC1/2A and CUC1/2B) clade and a likely loss of the CUC3 clade in Caprifoliaceae (including Lonicera), which suggested both gene duplication and gene loss events occurred in the CUC clade in Lonicera. Gene expression analyses of CUC paralogs based on qPCR in multiple honeysuckle species indicate that CUC-like genes may be involved in impeding leaf and bracteole fusion in Lonicera. Additionally, a similar role was also likely detected in the petal region with RNA-seq results indicating higher expression of CUC1/2A and two paralogs of NAC100 (also from the Ia subfamily) in the four separated upper petals lobes compared with the single lower petal of L. japonica. Ongoing RNA in situ hybridization will further characterize the detailed spatial expression patterns of CUC genes in honeysuckles to better understand the mechanisms of how CUC genes involve the development of organ fusions in Lonicera.
1 - St. John's University, Department of Biological Sciences, 8000 Utopia Parkway, Jamaica, NY, 11439, USA
2 - The College of New Jersey, Department of Biology, 2000 Pennington Road, Ewing, NJ, 08628, USA
3 - Yale University, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 21 Sachem St., New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
Keywords:
CUC1/2 genes
gene expression
Lonicera
NAC gene family
organ fusion.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Number: DS4005
Abstract ID:641
Candidate for Awards:None |
