ibclogo XVI International Botanical Congess


Abstract Number: 2776
Session = 15.13.6


CYCLOIDEA AND THE EVOLUTION OF FLORAL ASYMMETRY


Pilar Cubas#, Coral Vincent*, Rosemary Carpenter* and Enrico Coen*.#CNB, UAM, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid (Spain). *JIC,. Colney Lane, Norwich NR47UH, (UK)


According to their symmetry, flowers can be asymmetrical, with a single plane of symmetry, or symmetrical, with more than one plane of symmetry. Early flowering plants are thought to have had regular flowers and asymmetry is considered to be a derived condition evolved independently several times. The most intensive genetic analysis of flower asymmetry has been carried out in Antirrhinum, a plant with markedly asymmetrical flowers. One of the genes playing a key role in the generation of Antirrhinum floral asymmetry is cycloidea. To investigate the role of cycloidea in the evolution of floral asymmetry we are studying cycloidea function in other species with either asymmetrical or symmetrical flowers. We will present results of our analysis of cycloidea-like genes in Linaria, Senecio and Arabidopsis.


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