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- Title
Developmental robustness by obligate interaction of class B floral homeotic genes and proteins.
- Authors
Lenser, Thorsten; Theissen, Günter; Dittrich, Peter
- Abstract
DEF-like and GLO-like class B floral homeotic genes encode closely related MADS-domain transcription factors that act as developmental switches involved in specifying the identity of petals and stamens during flower development. Class B gene function requires transcriptional upregulation by an autoregulatory loop that depends on obligate heterodimerization of DEF-like and GLO-like proteins. Because switch-like behavior of gene expression can be displayed by single genes already, the functional relevance of this complex circuitry has remained enigmatic. On the basis of a stochastic in silico model of class B gene and protein interactions, we suggest that obligate heterodimerization of class B floral homeotic proteins is not simply the result of neutral drift but enhanced the robustness of cell-fate organ identity decisions in the presence of stochastic noise. This finding strongly corroborates the view that the appearance of this regulatory mechanism during angiosperm phylogeny led to a canalization of flower development and evolution.
- Publication
PLoS computational biology, 2009, Vol 5, Issue 1, pe1000264
- ISSN
1553-7358
- Publication type
Journal Article
- DOI
10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000264