here - First Legume Society Conference (LSC1)

Book of Abstracts First Legume Society Conference 2013: A Legume Odyssey Novi Sad, Serbia, 9-11 May 2013
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Characterisation of a double-flowered mutant in pea (Pisum sativum)
Julie Hofer 1 , Nathan Greenaway 1 , Mike Ambrose 2 , Fransisco Madueno 3 , Cristina Ferrandiz 3 , Noel
Ellis 1
1
Institute of Biological, Environmental & Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, UK
2
John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK
3
Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas, UPV-CSIC, Valencia, Spain
Floral developmental genes such as Unifoliata and Stamina-pistilloida are known to have roles in
flower and compound leaf development in pea and closely related legumes. This suggests that
some elements of the floral development pathway have been co-opted for the extended leaf
development programme of these legumes. Here we characterise a double-flowered mutant of
pea that provides further support for this hypothesis. The mutant, which arose spontaneously in
line JI 143, is delayed in flowering and has more complex flowers than wild type. In this respect it
resembles the agamous (ag) mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana, which has petals in whorl 3 instead of
stamens, sepals in whorl 4 instead of carpels and indeterminate floral meristems; flowers continue
to form within flowers, so the pattern of organs (from outside to inside) is sepal, petal, petal,
sepal, petal, petal, repeatedly. Studies of the double-flowered pea mutant revealed a deficit of
reproductive organs, additional fused petals and floral indeterminacy. Populations segregating for
the double-flowered mutation in pea showed that there were additional effects associated with
the mutation including shorter internodes and simplified leaves. MADS box gene homologues of
Ag have been isolated and mapped in pea. An approximate genetic map location of the doubleflowered
mutation and its relationship to pea MADS box genes has been determined.
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