FLOWER DEVELOPMENT Parts of a Flower: Zoe Sepal (oa yren! oDo; of ‘Stamen "carpet Peduncle: The stalk of a flower. Receptacle: The part of a flower stalk where the Canal: Tha niitarnarte af tha finuar Inftan nraan The second class specifies lMieristem Identity, and includes genes such as LEAFY, APETALA1, and CAULIFLOWER which specify flower meristem identity, as well as TERMINAL FLOWER which maintains inflorescence meristem identity. A third class includes the Flower Organ Identity genes, which determine the fate of organ primordia and are incorporated into the ABC" model of flower development. Examples of organ identity genes include APETALAY (which is involved in both meristem and organ identity), APETALA2, APETALA 3, PISTILLATA and AGAMOUS. A fourth class includes late-acting genes that control ovule development and extensive genetic and recent molecular studias have begun to uncover the complex array of interactions among genes in this class. ‘Summary: Corot lat prodrng SAM Flower-producing inflorescence meristem Individual reproductive unit (a flower in angiosperms) ‘+ Bisexual or perfeet flowers have both male {androecium) and female (gynoecium) reproductive structures, including stamens, cupels, and an ovary. A complete flower is a perfect flower with petals and sepals. ‘+ Unisexual or imperfect flower. Reproductive structure that is either functionally male or functionally female. Incomplete flower is one without any of the 4 whorls (sepals, petals, stamen, carpel) Specific terms are used to describe the sexual ‘expression of individual plants within a population. ‘© Monoecious, an individual that has both male and female reproductive units (lowers, conifer cones, or functionally equivalent structures) on the same plant ‘© Dioecious refers to a plant population having separate male and female plants That is, no individual plant of the population produces both microgametophytes (pollen) and megagametophytes (ovules); individual plants are either male or female, From ~ planis are noi called dioecious: they are Molecular Biology of Flower Development ‘The development of floral organs can be explained bya simple mode! involving three classes of gene: whorl 1 whorl 2 whorl 3 whorl 4 ‘The identity of the floral organ then depends on which gene or combination of genes are expressed: ‘+ Ifclass A genes alone are expressed, then sepals develop. ‘© Ifclass A and B genes are expressed then petals develop. + Ifelass Band C genes are expressed then stamens develop ‘© Ifelass C genes alone are expressed then carpels develop,Respecification: Indeterminate inflorescence meristem Flower Initiation Program (FLIP) ower floral meristem Induces Proression of floral patterning genes Development of 4specialized organs of a flower (earnels. stamens. sanals. netals) ‘The names of these genes reflect the phenotypes of plants that carry mutations in these genes: + APETALA - has no petals * AGAMOUS - has no gametes + PISTILLATA - has extra pistils (part of the carpel) For example, if a plant parries a mutation in the ity and class A activity spreads into the inner two whorls. The horls with sepal petals and sepals. s, petals, ‘The model also implies that there must be mechanisms to inhibit gene expression. Class A genes can only be expressed in the outer two whorls and not in the inner two whorls Conversely, elass C genes can only be expressed in the inner two whorls and not in the outer two whorls. Class A genes inhibit the expression of class C genes and vice-versa. Similarly, something must prevent the expression of the class B genes in the innermost whorl «ey regulatory genes that act in each of these classes are the following: