Specifically Expressed Gene in Ray Petal, CmCCD4a, Which Exists and Keeps the Function in Ray Petal Less Chrysanthemum Species

Abstract

Most chrysanthemum flowers have comprehensive structures, an aggregated flower, composed by two components of petals, many disc florets at center and surrounded ray petals. Some wild species have only disc florets but no ray petal. The ray petal specific expressed gene, CmCCD4a, was identified from the cultivated chrysanthemum, and already suggested that CmCCD4a keeps white color ray petals by degradation of carotenoids. The both existences and functions of CmCCD4a in petal less species were never disclosed. Here we show that this gene homolog was existent in ray petal less wild species, inherited next generation and certainly functioned in ray petals of progenies. The CmCCD4a was never the lost of function in also the petal less wild chrysanthemums, independent to ray petal construction.