Abstract
FLORICAULA (FLO) of Antirrhinum and LEAFY (LFY) of Arabidopsis play major roles in the reproductive transition and floral meristem identity. In maize, two duplicated FLO/LFY homologs play conserved roles with those in the dicot species. On the other hand, RFL, a FLO/LFY homolog in rice, might be involved in panicle branching. To understand the function of FLO/LFY homolog in wheat, we isolated WFL (Wheat FLO/LFY) and analyzed its expression pattern. In situ hybridization analysis revealed that WFL RNA expression was observed in all layers of young spikes excepting spikelet formation sites as axillary meristem, and not detected in spikelet primordia in the later stages. As development of floret proceeds, the WFL RNA was detectable in the developing palea. The WFL expression pattern indicates that WFL is associated with spikelet formation rather than floral meristem identity, and may play a novel role in developing palea.
