Snapdragons produce different coloured flowers due to mutations in a gene called CYCLOIDEA (CYC). Each mutation results in a different colour, such as red, pink, purple, or white. However, how these mutations are maintained in the population is not well understood.
A new study by researchers at the John Innes Centre, UK, has revealed that snapdragons use a "signposting" trick to maintain the different colour mutations. The researchers found that the CYC gene is located in a region of the genome that is duplicated. This duplication means that there are two copies of the CYC gene in the snapdragon genome.
One copy of the CYC gene is expressed in the flowers, while the other copy is expressed in the leaves. The expressed copy of the CYC gene in the flowers produces a protein that determines the colour of the flower. The expressed copy of the CYC gene in the leaves produces a protein that acts as a signal.
This signal protein travels from the leaves to the flowers and tells the flowers which colour they should be. This ensures that the different colour mutations are maintained in the population, as the signal protein prevents the different colour mutations from being mixed together.
The researchers believe that this "signposting" trick may also be used by other plants to maintain different colour mutations in their populations. This research provides new insights into the evolution of flower colour and could have implications for plant breeding.
- Snapdragons produce different coloured flowers due to mutations in the CYC gene.
- These mutations are maintained in the population by a "signposting" trick.
- The CYC gene is located in a duplicated region of the genome.
- One copy of the CYC gene is expressed in the flowers, while the other copy is expressed in the leaves.
- The expressed copy of the CYC gene in the flowers produces a protein that determines the colour of the flower.
- The expressed copy of the CYC gene in the leaves produces a protein that acts as a signal.
- This signal protein travels from the leaves to the flowers and tells the flowers which colour they should be.
- This ensures that the different colour mutations are maintained in the population.
