Abstract
To investigate the flowering mechanism of apple, the expression of AFL1 and AFL2 genes, which are orthologues of the LEAFY gene from Arabidopsis, are analyzed. These 5' upstream region (about 2.5kb length, respectively) were linked to GUS gene, and transduced to Arabidopsis. The transformed Arabidopsis with AFL2:GUS showed GUS expression in young flower buds, but AFL1:GUS not. Both transformed plants showed heavy stains at stipules of rosset and cauline leaves. These results suggested the AFL2 gene correlate to flower development. Next, the apple JM2 (M. prunifolia x M. 9), which was selected as dwarf root stock in this department of apple research, was used for transformation. We found the JM2 had much higher transfomation efficiency than otheer cultivars. Five hundred seventeen pieces of leaves from JM2 were transformed with AFL2:GUS, and 17 lines with GUS staining and Kanamycin resistance were obtained.
