Analysis of a novel plant glutaredoxin involved in flower development

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Although much research has been conducted on the function of homeotic class A, B and C genes controlling flower organogenesis, little is still known about the genes required for the initiation of the flower organ primordia, an event which is not controlled by these key regulatory genes. We have isolated a T-DNA mutant producing a reduced number of petal primordia and showing abnormalities during later petal development, such as bending of the petal blade. Surprisingly, the affected gene, named ROXY1, encodes a glutaredoxin (GRX) and belongs to a large Arabidopsis gene family for which information is scarce. GRXs are oxidoreductases that oxidize or reduce conserved, cysteine containing motives. Thus far, GXRs have been associated with the response to oxidative stress. Our data indicate for the first time that a GRX plays a crucial role during flower development, likely by means of a conserved cysteine mediating posttranslational modifications. We want to take advantage of the first characterization of a GRX mutant and investigate the function of ROXY1 and related GRXs in detail. The spectrum of ROXY1 target genes seems to be rather broad, as indicated by the roxy1 mutant phenotype and by genetic interactions studies. We consider that it is of particular interest to identify and characterize target proteins to unravel the intriguing connection between redox regulation and flower development.