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Plants
Special Issues
Developmental and Genetic Mechanisms of Floral Structure
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Developmental and Genetic Mechanisms of Floral Structure

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Development and Morphogenesis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2021) | Viewed by 19424

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Sophie Nadot

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique et Evolution, 91405, Orsay, France
Interests: floral evolution and development; phylogeny; floral symmetry; evolutionary ecology; floral evolution in Ranunculales
Prof. Dr. Catherine Damerval

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, CNRS, AgroParisTech, GQE – Le Moulon, 91190, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
Interests: floral evo–devo; floral symmetry; perianth development; floral evolution in Ranunculales

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Flowering plants are by far the most diverse group of land plants in terms of species number and morphology. Along with the progress achieved in describing in detail floral development in an increasing number of species, impressive advances have been made since the beginning of the 21st Century in unraveling the genes underlying the strikingly conserved floral general organization, in addition to the extraordinary variation in size, shape, color, and number of floral organs. Evo–devo studies built on advanced research on the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana have shown that this conservation is due to a shared genetic program (the ABCE model) responsible for floral organ identity. Progress has also been made in identifying genes involved in specific floral features, such as floral bilateral symmetry or spur development. In parallel, phylogenetic relationships among the 400+ families of angiosperms have become increasingly resolved, providing a robust framework to study patterns of floral evolution and development and distinguish conserved from lineage-specific patterns. Beyond Arabidopsis, research on floral development using novel model plants is rapidly accumulating, and the diversity and evolution of genes and gene networks at play in the making of specific traits are being deciphered.

This Special Issue will gather articles (including original research papers, reviews, methods or opinions) that focus on floral development, from genes to morphology. A specific focus will be put on novel model organisms or clades that are now amenable to analysis thanks to new methodologies, such as the various high throughput omics, 3D imagery, morphometric geometrics, and ancestral state reconstruction methods.

Prof. Dr. Sophie Nadot
Prof. Dr. Catherine Damerval
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • floral development
  • floral organogenesis
  • floral evolution
  • floral homeotic genes
  • floral transcription factors
  • floral meristems
  • floral regulators
  • floral gene networks
  • floral gene regulatory networks

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 2254 KiB  
Article
Micro-RNA-Regulated SQUAMOSA-PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) Gene Expression and Cytokinin Accumulation Distinguish Early-Developing Male and Female Inflorescences in Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis)
by James W. Tregear, Frédérique Richaud, Myriam Collin, Jennifer Esbelin, Hugues Parrinello, Benoît Cochard, Leifi Nodichao, Fabienne Morcillo, Hélène Adam and Stefan Jouannic
Plants 2022, 11(5), 685; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11050685 - 02 Mar 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2453
Abstract
Sexual differentiation of inflorescences and flowers is important for reproduction and affects crop plant productivity. We report here on a molecular study of the process of sexual differentiation in the immature inflorescence of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis). This species is monoecious [...] Read more.
Sexual differentiation of inflorescences and flowers is important for reproduction and affects crop plant productivity. We report here on a molecular study of the process of sexual differentiation in the immature inflorescence of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis). This species is monoecious and exhibits gender diphasy, producing male and female inflorescences separately on the same plant in alternation. Three main approaches were used: small RNA-seq to characterise and study the expression of miRNA genes; RNA-seq to monitor mRNA accumulation patterns; hormone quantification to assess the role of cytokinins and auxins in inflorescence differentiation. Our study allowed the characterisation of 30 previously unreported palm MIRNA genes. In differential gene and miRNA expression studies, we identified a number of key developmental genes and miRNA-mRNA target modules previously described in relation to their developmental regulatory role in the cereal panicle, notably the miR156/529/535-SQUAMOSA PROMOTER-BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) gene regulatory module. Gene enrichment analysis highlighted the importance of hormone-related genes, and this observation was corroborated by the detection of much higher levels of cytokinins in the female inflorescence. Our data illustrate the importance of branching regulation within the developmental window studied, during which the female inflorescence, unlike its male counterpart, produces flower clusters on new successive axes by sympodial growth. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Developmental and Genetic Mechanisms of Floral Structure)
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25 pages, 7322 KiB  
Article
Gene Duplication and Differential Expression of Flower Symmetry Genes in Rhododendron (Ericaceae)
by Elizabeth Ramage, Valerie L. Soza, Jing Yi, Haley Deal, Vaidehi Chudgar, Benjamin D. Hall and Verónica S. Di Stilio
Plants 2021, 10(10), 1994; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10101994 - 23 Sep 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2675
Abstract
Bilaterally symmetric flowers have evolved over a hundred times in angiosperms, yet orthologs of the transcription factors CYCLOIDEA (CYC), RADIALIS (RAD), and DIVARICATA (DIV) are repeatedly implicated in floral symmetry changes. We examined these candidate genes to [...] Read more.
Bilaterally symmetric flowers have evolved over a hundred times in angiosperms, yet orthologs of the transcription factors CYCLOIDEA (CYC), RADIALIS (RAD), and DIVARICATA (DIV) are repeatedly implicated in floral symmetry changes. We examined these candidate genes to elucidate the genetic underpinnings of floral symmetry changes in florally diverse Rhododendron, reconstructing gene trees and comparing gene expression across floral organs in representative species with radial and bilateral flower symmetries. Radially symmetric R. taxifolium Merr. and bilaterally symmetric R. beyerinckianum Koord. had four and five CYC orthologs, respectively, from shared tandem duplications. CYC orthologs were expressed in the longer dorsal petals and stamens and highly expressed in R. beyerinckianum pistils, whereas they were either ubiquitously expressed, lost from the genome, or weakly expressed in R. taxifolium. Both species had two RAD and DIV orthologs uniformly expressed across all floral organs. Differences in gene structure and expression of Rhododendron RAD compared to other asterids suggest that these genes may not be regulated by CYC orthologs. Our evidence supports CYC orthologs as the primary regulators of differential organ growth in Rhododendron flowers, while also suggesting certain deviations from the typical asterid gene regulatory network for flower symmetry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Developmental and Genetic Mechanisms of Floral Structure)
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Review

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26 pages, 8424 KiB  
Review
Mechanical Forces in Floral Development
by Kester Bull–Hereñu, Patricia dos Santos, João Felipe Ginefra Toni, Juliana Hanna Leite El Ottra, Pakkapol Thaowetsuwan, Julius Jeiter, Louis Philippe Ronse De Craene and Akitoshi Iwamoto
Plants 2022, 11(5), 661; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11050661 - 28 Feb 2022
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 4461
Abstract
Mechanical forces acting within the plant body that can mold flower shape throughout development received little attention. The palette of action of these forces ranges from mechanical pressures on organ primordia at the microscopic level up to the twisting of a peduncle that [...] Read more.
Mechanical forces acting within the plant body that can mold flower shape throughout development received little attention. The palette of action of these forces ranges from mechanical pressures on organ primordia at the microscopic level up to the twisting of a peduncle that promotes resupination of a flower at the macroscopic level. Here, we argue that without these forces acting during the ontogenetic process, the actual flower phenotype would not be achieved as it is. In this review, we concentrate on mechanical forces that occur at the microscopic level and determine the fate of the flower shape by the physical constraints on meristems at an early stage of development. We thus highlight the generative role of mechanical forces over the floral phenotype and underline our general view of flower development as the sum of interactions of known physiological and genetic processes, together with physical aspects and mechanical events that are entangled towards the shaping of the mature flower. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Developmental and Genetic Mechanisms of Floral Structure)
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13 pages, 1781 KiB  
Review
A Review of the Developmental Processes and Selective Pressures Shaping Aperture Pattern in Angiosperms
by Beatrice Albert, Alexis Matamoro-Vidal, Charlotte Prieu, Sophie Nadot, Irène Till-Bottraud, Adrienne Ressayre and Pierre-Henri Gouyon
Plants 2022, 11(3), 357; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11030357 - 28 Jan 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2859
Abstract
Pollen grains of flowering plants display a fascinating diversity of forms. The observed diversity is determined by the developmental mechanisms involved in the establishment of pollen morphological features. Pollen grains are generally surrounded by an extremely resistant wall displaying apertures that play a [...] Read more.
Pollen grains of flowering plants display a fascinating diversity of forms. The observed diversity is determined by the developmental mechanisms involved in the establishment of pollen morphological features. Pollen grains are generally surrounded by an extremely resistant wall displaying apertures that play a key role in reproduction, being the places at which pollen tube growth is initiated. Aperture number, structure, and position (collectively termed ‘aperture pattern’) are determined during microsporogenesis, which is the earliest step of pollen ontogeny. Here, we review current knowledge about aperture pattern developmental mechanisms and adaptive significance with respect to plant reproduction and how advances in these fields shed light on our understanding of aperture pattern evolution in angiosperms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Developmental and Genetic Mechanisms of Floral Structure)
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19 pages, 2943 KiB  
Review
Development and Evolution of Unisexual Flowers: A Review
by Florian Jabbour, Felipe Espinosa, Quentin Dejonghe and Timothée Le Péchon
Plants 2022, 11(2), 155; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11020155 - 07 Jan 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3500
Abstract
The development of unisexual flowers has been described in a large number of taxa, sampling the diversity of floral phenotypes and sexual systems observed in extant angiosperms, in studies focusing on floral ontogeny, on the evo-devo of unisexuality, or on the genetic and [...] Read more.
The development of unisexual flowers has been described in a large number of taxa, sampling the diversity of floral phenotypes and sexual systems observed in extant angiosperms, in studies focusing on floral ontogeny, on the evo-devo of unisexuality, or on the genetic and chromosomal bases of unisexuality. We review here such developmental studies, aiming at characterizing the diversity of ontogenic pathways leading to functionally unisexual flowers. In addition, we present for the first time and in a two-dimensional morphospace a quantitative description of the developmental rate of the sexual organs in functionally unisexual flowers, in a non-exhaustive sampling of angiosperms with contrasted floral morphologies. Eventually, recommendations are provided to help plant evo-devo researchers and botanists addressing macroevolutionary and ecological issues to more precisely select the taxa, the biological material, or the developmental stages to be investigated. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Developmental and Genetic Mechanisms of Floral Structure)
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8 pages, 7760 KiB  
Review
Then There Were Plenty-Ring Meristems Giving Rise to Many Stamen Whorls
by Doudou Kong and Annette Becker
Plants 2021, 10(6), 1140; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10061140 - 03 Jun 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2318
Abstract
Floral meristems are dynamic systems that generate floral organ primordia at their flanks and, in most species, terminate while giving rise to the gynoecium primordia. However, we find species with floral meristems that generate additional ring meristems repeatedly throughout angiosperm history. Ring meristems [...] Read more.
Floral meristems are dynamic systems that generate floral organ primordia at their flanks and, in most species, terminate while giving rise to the gynoecium primordia. However, we find species with floral meristems that generate additional ring meristems repeatedly throughout angiosperm history. Ring meristems produce only stamen primordia, resulting in polystemous flowers (having stamen numbers more than double that of petals or sepals), and act independently of the floral meristem activity. Most of our knowledge on floral meristem regulation is derived from molecular genetic studies of Arabidopsis thaliana, a species with a fixed number of floral organs and, as such of only limited value for understanding ring meristem function, regulation, and ecological value. This review provides an overview of the main molecular players regulating floral meristem activity in A. thaliana and summarizes our knowledge of ring primordia morphology and occurrence in dicots. Our work provides a first step toward understanding the significance and molecular genetics of ring meristem regulation and evolution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Developmental and Genetic Mechanisms of Floral Structure)
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