XVI International Botanical Congess

The most dramatic developmental change in plants occurs during the switch from vegetative to reproductive growth. This transition from leaf to flower is controlled by a group of genes called meristem identity genes, of which the most prominent is the transcription factor LEAFY (LFY). lfy mutation causes early flowers to be converted into leaf shoots while constitutive LFY expression converts lateral shoots into flowers. Our lab has recently defined LFY binding sites which are required for the correct expression of downstream floral homeotic genes Agamous (AG) and Apetala1 (AP1). Since AG is expressed in only a subset of LFY-expressing cells in the early floral meristem, there exists factors which confer region specificity on LFY. I will discuss the result of the search for LFY interactors in the context of LFY binding sites on the AG regulatory element.