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The molecular mechanism of vernalization in Arabidopsis and cereals: role of Flowering Locus C and its homologs
Author(s) -
Sharma Neha,
Geuten Koen,
Giri Balendu Shekhar,
Varma Ajit
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
physiologia plantarum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.351
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1399-3054
pISSN - 0031-9317
DOI - 10.1111/ppl.13163
Subject(s) - vernalization , arabidopsis , flowering locus c , biology , locus (genetics) , homologous chromosome , gene , botany , arabidopsis thaliana , repressor , genetics , mutant , gene expression
Winter varieties of plants can flower only after exposure to prolonged cold. This phenomenon is known as vernalization and has been widely studied in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana as well as in monocots. Through the repression of floral activator genes, vernalization prevents flowering in winter. In Arabidopsis , FLOWERING LOCUS C or FLC is the key repressor during vernalization, while in monocots vernalization is regulated through VRN1 , VRN2 and VRN3 (or FLOWERING LOCUS T ). Interestingly, VRN genes are not homologous to FLC but FLC homologs are found to have a significant role in vernalization response in cereals. The presence of FLC homologs in monocots opens new dimensions to understand, compare and retrace the evolution of vernalization pathways between monocots and dicots. In this review, we discuss the molecular mechanism of vernalization‐induced flowering along with epigenetic regulations in Arabidopsis and temperate cereals. A better understanding of cold‐induced flowering will be helpful in crop breeding strategies to modify the vernalization requirement of economically important temperate cereals.