Abstract
The FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT ) gene of Arabidopsis thaliana encodes a 20-kDa protein, which induces flowering as a long-range mobile signal. Recent studies show that FT homologs in other plant species are involved in various meristem-associated physiological events, such as tiller bud outgrowth (rice), bud dormancy (poplar and Norway spruce), tuber formation (potato), and compound leaf formation (tomato).
We focused on the lateral branch outgrowth as a physiological event other than flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana, and we compared the lateral branch growth of wild-type plants and that of ft mutants. The ft mutants showed the delay of outgrowth commencement and the decrease of growth rate. We are currently analyzing the expressions of genes including phytohormone biosynthesis and signaling genes, and cell wall-related genes in lateral branches of ft mutants, compared with in those of wild-type plants. The results will be also reported.
