Thinking out of the box: MADS-box genes and maize spikelet development

摘要

Due to the importance of maize as an agricultural crop and its stature as an ideal model plant for the study of developmental biology in monocots, it is natural that research into its genetic structure has gained worldwide attention. Unfortunately, although much progress has been made in our understanding of the genetic control of the maize spikelet over the last decade, the depth of research in this field still lags behind that of dicots. Here, we review the developmental features of the maize spikelet and the characterization and function of MADS-box genes with the hope of stimulating further research in this area.