Seed plants exhibiting inducible early reproductive development and methods of making same

摘要

The present invention provides a recombinant nucleic acid molecule containing an inducible regulatory element operably linked to a nucleic acid molecule encoding a floral meristem identity gene product such as APETALA1 (AP1), CAULIFLOWER (CAL) or LEAFY (LFY). The invention also provides a transgenic seed plant, such as an angiosperm or gymnosperm, that contains a recombinant nucleic acid molecule of the invention. The invention further provides methods, such as methods of converting shoot meristem to floral meristem in a transgenic angiosperm and methods of promoting early reproductive development in a seed plant, which use a recombinant nucleic acid molecule of the invention. In addition, the invention provides a nucleic acid molecule encoding a chimeric protein, which contains a nucleic acid molecule encoding a floral meristem identity gene product linked in frame to a nucleic acid molecule encoding a ligand binding domain. The invention also provides a transgenic seed plant, such as an angiosperm or gymnosperm, that contains a nucleic acid molecule encoding a chimeric protein of the invention. Also provided herein are methods, such as methods of converting shoot meristem to floral meristem in a transgenic angiosperm and methods of promoting early reproductive development in a seed plant, which use a nucleic acid molecule encoding a chimeric protein of the invention.