Abstract
The most important phase change in plants is the transition from vegetative to reproductive growth. A MADS-domain gene, AGL24, was identified as an important promoter of flowering in Arabidopsis. To gain insights into the expression mechanism of AGL24 we have analyzed the AGL24 promoter using a series of AGL24:: GUS reporter genes. There deletion studies revealed cis-elements to lie between nt -850 and nt -353, and in the 2nd intron. The AGL24 2nd intron contains the consensus CArG box sequence, the MADS-box protein binding element. We also found that MADS-box proteins, AP1, SOC1 and SVP bind to this CArG box in vitro by gel retardation experiments. These results suggest that the transcription of AGL24 is directly controlled by AP1, SOC1 and SVP.
