The FLOWERING LOCUS T like 2–1 gene of Chenopodium ficifolium and Chenopodium quinoa acts as a strong activator of flowering in Arabidopsis, triggering flowering at cotyledon stage and causing lethality when overexpressed.
The transition from vegetative growth to reproduction is an essential commitment in plant life. It is triggered by environmental cues (day length, temperature, nutrients) and regulated by the very complex signaling gene network and by phytohormones. The control of flowering is well understood in Arabidopsis thaliana and in some crops, much less is known about the other angiosperms.
Frequent duplications of the FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) gene across various taxonomic lineages resulted in FT paralogs with floral repressor function, whereas others duplicates maintained their floral-promoting role. The FT gene has been confirmed as the inducer of photoperiodic flowering in most angiosperms analyzed to date.
Our expertise cover methods of anatomy, histochemical detections, and indirect immunofluorescence, determination of the content of plant hormones, and analysis of gene expression. Newly we are also implementing methods of in-vitro virus detection. To control the developmental processes of in-vitro cultures, we use a broad spectrum of newly synthesized bioactive molecules as well as modulators of plant hormone metabolism and perception (e.g. anti-auxins, anti-gibberellins, cytokinin derivatives).
