Functional analysis of DEFECTIVE COORDINATION1 (DECO1) gene involved in the synchronized elongation of stamens and petals during Arabidopsis flower development

Abstract

In the self-pollinating flowers like Arabidopsis, coordinated maturation and elongation of floral organs is critically important for the successful pollination. We isolated deco1 mutant, which shows abnormalities in synchronized elongation of stamens and petals (i.e. hastened stamen elongation and insufficient petal elongation) at the flower opening. SEM analysis showed that the cell elongation was enhanced and repressed in the mutant stamens and petals, respectively, in compare to the wild type. The level of endogenous JA was decreased in deco1 petals, that resulted in the block of petal elongation. The DECO1 promoter-GUS analysis revealed that it was expressed specifically in stamen filaments of fully developed but unopened flower buds. These results suggested that DECO1 protein, which is predicted a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase, is involved in the biosynthesis or metabolism of JA in filaments, and that the resultant compound may be important for petal elongation.