Genetics of sex determination in flowering plants

Although most flowering plant species are hermaphrodites, there are still a large number of species with unisexual flowers. Classical geneticists identified the genes that distinguish the sexes in many species, but, until recently, nothing was known about the molecular mechanisms involved. Knowledge...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in plant science 1997-04, Vol.2 (4), p.130-136
Main Authors: Lebel-Hardenack, Sabine, Grant, Sarah R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions
Biological and medical sciences
Biology and morphogenesis of the reproductive apparatus. Photoperiodism, vernalisation
Economic plant physiology
Flowering, floral biology, reproduction patterns
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Growth and development
Plant physiology and development
Vegetative and sexual reproduction, floral biology, fructification
Zea mays
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Although most flowering plant species are hermaphrodites, there are still a large number of species with unisexual flowers. Classical geneticists identified the genes that distinguish the sexes in many species, but, until recently, nothing was known about the molecular mechanisms involved. Knowledge of the genes that control floral organ identity in a broad range of angiosperms has now allowed detailed comparative expression studies. Intriguingly, the sex-related differences indicate that the mechanism of sex determination is not the same in all species. In addition, genes that affect the sexual expression of flowers have been cloned from maize, and the sequences of these indicate that they are involved in hormone metabolism.
ISSN:1360-1385
1878-4372
DOI:10.1016/S1360-1385(97)01012-1