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Biochemical Signaling Involved in Flowering

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30 views4 pages

Biochemical Signaling Involved in Flowering

Uploaded by

trendingallthings1
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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BIOCHEMICAL SIGNALING INVOLVED IN FLOWERING

Plants can perceive/recognize day length. This keeps them from flowering too early in the
season–such as when pollinators are not as active or cold temperatures could freeze their
reproductive parts. In order for flowering to occur, there must be communication between the
leaf, where light is absorbed, and the shoot apex, where flowering occurs.
Plants have evolved a signaling pathway that involves activation of FLOWERING LOCUS T
(FT), a protein whose expression is regulated by the gene. Florigen is a systemic signal that
promotes flowering. Its molecular nature is a conserved FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) protein
that belongs to the phosphatidyl ethanolamine-binding protein (PEBP) family. FT is expressed in
the leaf phloem and transported to the shoot apical meristem where it initiates floral transition.
Florigen (or flowering hormone) is the hypothesized hormone-like molecule responsible for
controlling and/or triggering flowering in plants. Florigen is produced in the leaves, and acts in
the shoot apical meristem of buds and growing tips.
When days are longer and nights are shorter, the plant is exposed to more light and less darkness.
The CONSTANS (CO) gene promotes flowering in long days. CO expression rises and a product
of FT moves to the areas of growth, activating flowering-time genes that enable flowering.
Overall, this is a long-distance signaling pathway, triggered when light is detected, that alters
gene expression to promote flowering. This mechanism has applications in light-triggered
technology, such as heating and security systems in buildings. An important aspect of this
mechanism and it’s application in technology is that flowering is not only dependent of day-
length, but also on quality of light. Plants tend to flower more readily when exposed to far-red
light, which is common in shady environments. Plants grown under far-red enriched light contain
more CO mRNA, and thus flower more readily than plants grown under white light.
A number of other factors play a role in influencing flowering. Ambient temperature has a strong
effect on flowering, and indeed, high temperatures are able to accelerate flowering in short
photoperiods almost as much as long photoperiods.
Vernalization is the
process whereby
flowering is
promoted
by a cold
treatment given to
a fully hydrated
seed (i.e., a
seed that has
imbibed water) or
to a growing plant.
● Dry seeds do not
respond to the cold
treatment.
● Without the cold
treatment, plants
that require
vernalization
show delayed
flowering or
remain vegetative.
● In many cases
these plants grow
as rosettes with no
elongation
of the ste

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