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Scientists at Yale and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory report the first
large-scale survey of patterns of gene expression in flowers, using the
model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, to identify the genes most likely to have
critical roles in plant reproduction, August 2005 by Janet Rettig Emanuel.

The researchers studied 1765 lines and identified 80 genes active in petal
and stamen development using "gene trapping." In this gene discovery
technique a reporter tag was inserted into cells so that they stained blue
only when targeted genes were active. When an interesting developmental
pattern was identified, the tagged gene was isolated and characterized.

These researchers studied Arabidopsis thaliana, a relative of the mustard
plant, to take advantage of the already extensive genetic information
available. Most familiar plants are flowering plants, so defining how
flowering occurs in Arabidopsis thaliana can be used to understand this
process in crops, weeds and trees.

"If a gene is turned on only in one type of tissue or organ within a flower,
the chance is good that the gene has an important role in development of
that organ. From this collection of patterns of gene expression, we can gain
interesting insights about how gene activity is allocated during flower
development," said lead author Naomi Nakayama, a graduate student at Yale.
"Understanding the process of flower development will help efforts to
control aspects of plant reproduction like cross-pollination and seed
production."

"Our results show at what times and in which places genes are active,"
explained Vivian Irish, associate professor of molecular cellular and
developmental biology at Yale and senior author on the paper. "It is more
than just a phone book of gene names; it tells us what these genes are
doing. This is an excellent example of how modern molecular biology
techniques help to increase our understanding of complex biological
processes."

Collaborators included Juana M.Arroyo, Joseph Simorowski and Bruce May
working with Robert Martienssen at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. The
research was funded with grant support from the National Science Foundation.

[www.eurekalert.org]

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