DIFFERENT ROLES OF FLOWERING-TIME GENES IN THE ACTIVATION OF FLORAL INITIATION GENES IN ARABIDOPSIS

We have analyzed double mutants that combine late-flowering mutations at four flowering-time loci (FVE, FPA, FWA, and FT) with mutations at the LEAFY (LFY), APETALA1 (AP1), and TERMINAL FLOWER1 (TFL1) loci invo lved in the floral initiation process (FLIP). Double mutants between f t-1 or fwa-1 and lfy-6 completely lack flowerlike structures, indicati ng that both FWA and FT act redundantly with LFY to control AP1. Moreo ver, the phenotypes of ft-1 ap1-1 and fwa-1 ap1-1 double mutants are r eminiscent of the phenotype of ap1-1 cal-1 double mutants, suggesting that FWA and FT could also be involved in the control of other FLIP ge nes. Such extreme phenotypes were not observed in double mutants betwe en fve-2 or fpa-1 and lfy-6 or ap1-1. Each of these showed a phenotype similar to that of ap1-1 or lfy-6 mutants grown under noninductive ph otoperiods, suggesting a redundant interaction with FLIP genes. Finall y, the phenotype of double mutants combining the late-flowering mutati ons with tfl1-2 were also consistent with the different roles of flowe ring-time genes.