The solution structure of a novel plant defensin (PhD1) contains a fifth disulfide bond, unlike other plant defensins, which have four disulfide bonds. The present study aims to better understand the stability, thermal dependence and the role of disulfide bonds in the tertiary structure of PhD1 using Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations. The secondary structures are intact in the native structur...

Expressions of the genes involved in the cytokinin (CK) phosphorelay signaling circuitry in petunia (Petunia hybrida Vilm.) were investigated with regard to the large-flowered trait induced by the semidominant Grandiflora (G) gene. We isolated three cDNAs encoding type-A response regulators (RRs, PhRR1-3) and one cDNA encoding CK receptor histidine protein kinase (PhHK). Expression levels of Ph...

The CYP2E1 protein belongs to the P450 enzymes family and plays an important role in the metabolism of small molecular and organic pollutants. In this study we generated CYP2E1 transgenic plants of Petunia using Agrobacterium rhizogenes K599. PCR analysis confirmed that the regenerated plants contained the CYP2E1 transgene and the rolB gene of the Ri plasmid. Southern blotting revealed the pres...

The cDNA clone of novel cytochrome P450 CYP703A1 from petunia floral buds was isolated by RT-PCR. The nucleotide sequences of this cDNA clone contained the open reading frame that has been predicted to encode polypeptides consisting of 539 amino acid residues. A significantly high level of the transcript of the cyp703A1 gene was found in the early stage of petunia flower buds, but not in the le...

Plants require sophisticated regulatory mechanisms to ensure the degree of anthocyanin pigmentation is appropriate to myriad developmental and environmental signals. Central to this process are the activity of MYB-bHLH-WD repeat (MBW) complexes that regulate the transcription of anthocyanin genes. In this study, the gene regulatory network that regulates anthocyanin synthesis in petunia (Petuni...

Zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) are a powerful tool for genome editing in eukaryotic cells. ZFNs have been used for targeted mutagenesis in model and crop species. In animal and human cells, transient ZFN expression is often achieved by direct gene transfer into the target cells. Stable transformation, however, is the preferred method for gene expression in plant species, and ZFN-expressing transg...

In plants with a gametophytic self-incompatibility system the specificity of the pollen is determined by the haploid genotype at the self-incompatibility (S) locus. In certain crosses this can lead to the exclusion of half the gametes from the male parent carrying a particular S-allele. This leads to pronounced segregation distortion for any genetic markers that are linked to the S-locus. We ha...

Gametophytic self-incompatibility (GSI) of Rosaceae, Solanaceae and Plantaginaceae is controlled by a single polymorphic S locus. The S locus contains at least two genes, S-RNase and F-box protein encoding gene SLF/SFB/SFBB that control pistil and pollen specificity, respectively. Generally, the F-box protein forms an E3 ligase complex, SCF complex with Skp1, Cullin1 (CUL1) and Rbx1, however, i...

Abstract Flower senescence is commonly enhanced by the endogenous hormone ethylene and suppressed gibberellins (GAs) in plants. However, detailed mechanisms for antagonism of these hormones during flower remain elusive. In this study, we characterized one up-regulated gene PhOBF1, belonging to basic leucine zipper transcription factor family, senescing petals petunia (Petunia hybrida). Exogenou...

Floral scent, which is determined by a complex mixture of low molecular weight volatile molecules, plays a major role in the plant's life cycle. Phenylpropanoid volatiles are the main determinants of floral scent in petunia (Petunia hybrida). A screen using virus-induced gene silencing for regulators of scent production in petunia flowers yielded a novel R2R3-MYB-like regulatory factor of pheny...