Expression analyses of flower developmental genes in Eschscholzia californica

Abstract

The combination and precise control of different organ identity programs underlies the flower development in angiosperms.Despite the enormous diversity in colour,shape and morphology,angiosperms share common flower architecture. Generally, any change in the gene expression is a first hint for a gain or a loss of function.The examination of gene expression and the comparison of expression patterns between lineages is a starting point to get insight into the evolution of gene function.Studying the gene expression and function in phylogenetically important species such as Eschscholzia californica (E. californica),a representative of the earliest diverging basal eudicot lineage Ranunculales and an emerging model species for investigating flower development, contributes to our understanding about the evolution of flower genetic networks underlying the evolution of the flower organ development.In this work, the orthologous gene expression patterns of key regulators in flower development of A.thaliana were examined in E. californica and compared to the expression patthers in other species. This work demonstrates that orthologous gene expression of developmental control genes is often highly conserved across angiosperm lineages, however also shifts in expression between orthologs arise by alteration in cis-regulatory elements that allow the gene function to evolve.