Abstract
Flowering is the transition from vegetative to reproductive growth in angiosperms. Recently, it was shown that FLOWRING LOCUS T (FT) protein is a main component of florigen, a long-distance flowering signal. In Arabidopsis, transcription of FT is induced in leaves under inductive long days, while FT protein is transported to the shoot apex and interacts with a bZIP transcription factor, FD, to promote flowering. However, genetic analyses have suggested that some factors interacting with FT other than FD is also required for FT function in flowering. It is also likely FT play a role in systemic changes associated with flowering. In order to fully understand the function of FT as a mobile systemic signal, we are searching for novel transcriptional factors interacting with FT. We demonstrated several TCP proteins interact with FT protein by using yeast two-hybrid assay, and confirmed the interaction in plant cells through BiFC assay in tobacco leaves. Possible involvement of TCP in flowering-associated developmental changes through the interaction with FT will be discussed.
