Tissue Specific Localization of Several Oil Palm Genes During Flower Development
Flowering is the first introductory step to fruit formation and is a fundamental part of the plants reproduction system. Flowers and fruit are also an integral part of seed production. In most crops, the control of flowering is an important aspect of growth and development. If oil palm flowering...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
2001
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/8453/1/FSMB_2001_29_IR.pdf |
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| Summary: | Flowering is the first introductory step to fruit formation and is a fundamental part of the
plants reproduction system. Flowers and fruit are also an integral part of seed
production. In most crops, the control of flowering is an important aspect of growth and
development. If oil palm flowering could be controlled, yield could be improved by
stimulating flowering in accordance to permissive environmental factors. In order to
determine the factors that influence flowering of oil palm, the physiological background
and the flowering process must be studied. However, oil palm micropropagation had
come up against a major difficulty with the discovery of a floral morphogenesis
abnormality induced by in vitro regeneration (Corley et al., 1986; Toruan-Mathius et al., 1998).
From the examination of both morphology and anatomy of oil palm flower development,
9 key stages of normal and abnormal flower development has been classified to assist in the study of tissue specific expression of flowering genes. As plant organ systems are
composed of anatomically similar cells and tissues, in situ hybridization was chosen as a
method of determining gene expression based on its sensitivity and ability to determine
the specific location of an mRNA. Examinations carried out on 4 oil palm flowering
genes provide more information about the processes occurring during normal and
abnormal flower formation of oil palm. OPSOC1, an oil palm homologue of AGL20 and
OPLFY, the LFY homologue of oil palm, are both expressed throughout flower
initiation and development. OPRLK5, a member of the receptor kinase gene family, is
expressed throughout flower development. The last gene, OPUIP2, which encodes a
UFO-interacting protein, is also expressed throughout flower development but it is not
needed during inflorescence meristem development. Combined with other studies in this
area, it is hoped that an understanding of the floral abnormality may be within reach in
the near future.
Attempts to isolate flower specific genes from an oil palm floral cDNA library however
have been unsuccessful. The choice of cDNA library and conventional molecular tools
might not be applicable in isolating these types of genes. Nevertheless, with advanced
molecular and genetic tools such as yeast one and two-hybrid system that are being
developed, isolation and the determination of function of such genes can be achieved. |
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