Open AccessINTERMEDIUM-M encodes an HvAP2L-H5 ortholog and is required for inflorescence indeterminacy and spikelet determinacy in barley
Author(s) -
Jinshun Zhong,
G. Wilma van Esse,
Xiaojing Bi,
Tianyu Lan,
Agatha Walla,
Qing Sang,
Rainer Franzen,
Maria von Korff
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2011779118
Subject(s) - meristem , inflorescence , biology , mutant , botany , genetics , gene
Significance Meristem determinacy/indeterminacy influences flower number and seed production in crops. Two closely related cool-season cereals, barley and wheat, produce variable and defined numbers of spikelets in their inflorescences, respectively. In this study, we identify a series of allelic barley mutants namedintermedium-m anddouble seed1 that develop wheat-like determinate inflorescences producing a terminal spikelet and a reduced number of spikelets. INT-M/DUB1 is an APETALA2-like transcription factor that promotes an active inflorescence meristem via suppression of spikelet initiation and the maintenance of meristem identity. Our work has identified key regulators that may prolong meristem activities and could be genetically engineered in barley, wheat, and other cereals to improve grain yield.