Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #178981
Title: CLONING AND CHARACTERIZATION OF APETALA3 AND PISTILLATA ORTHOLOGS IN PAPAYA

Author
item ACKERMAN, CHRISTINE - HARC
item YU, QINGYI - HARC
item Moore, Paul
item PAULL, ROBERT - U OF HAWAII
item MING, RAY - HARC

Submitted to: Plant Biology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/28/2005
Publication Date: 7/20/2005
Citation: Ackerman, C.M., Yu, Q., Moore, P.H., Paull, R.E., Ming, R. 2005. Cloning and characterization of apetala3 and pistillata orthologs in papaya. Plant Biology (Abstracts) P728. P237.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: In the ABCE model of flower development, B function organ-identity genes act in the second and third whorls of the flower to control petal and stamen identity. Papaya has three sex forms, male, female, and hermaphrodite so its flowers might be ideal for testing the function of B class genes in all three types of flowers. Sequences of the two B class genes of Arabidopsis, APETALA (AP3) and PISTILLATA (PI) were used to design degenerate primers for obtaining homologs of these two B class genes from papaya. Total RNA, isolated from different sized male papaya flowers, was used to synthesize cDNA. The degenerate primers of the B class genes amplify cDNA and the amplified fragments were transferred to nylon membrane for Southern hybridization using the Arabidopsis AP3 and PI genes as probes. Portions of the cDNA with homology to the AtAP3 and AtPI genes were cloned into vectors and used to screen the papaya BAC and cDNA libraries. Single BAC clones were chosen for each gene, confirmed by Southern hybridization, and then directly sequenced to acquire the full genomic sequence for the Carica papaya (Cp) AP3 and PI orthologs. Protein analysis revealed that CpAP3 shares 60% identity and 75% similarity with the tomato ortholog TDR6, but it shares only 30% identity and 65% similarity with the AtAP3. Similarly, CpPI shares 70% identity and 85% similarity with the Betula pendula PI ortholog, but only shares 60% identity and 80% similarity with the AtPI. Functional analysis of the CpAP3 and CpPI is under way using RT-PCR and in situ hybridization.