Genetic Regulation of Phase Change in Maize

在其生长过程中，玉米茎部经历了不同的营养生长期和成年期，然后进入生殖期。先前的研究表明，这三个阶段是由独立但相互作用的发展程序调节的。这些程序之间的协调程度将通过研究“早花”基因对阶段特异性营养性状的影响，以及通过检查这些基因与导致幼苗营养程序（Tp1， Tp2和Tp3）组成表达的几个突变之间的相互作用来测试。为了更全面地了解相变的遗传调控，我们将在细胞和分子水平上对最近发现的几种影响相变特异性营养性状表达的突变进行表征。其他调节相变的基因将通过筛选Tp2的抑制因子和筛选导致成人营养性状早熟表达的突变来确定。最后，g115，一个调节几个幼体性状的基因，将被转座子标记克隆。

During its growth the maize shoot progresses through distinct juvenile and adult phases of vegetative growth and then enters a reproductive phase. Previous work has suggested that these three phases are regulated by independent, but interacting developmental programs. The extent of coordination between these programs will be tested by studying the effect of "early flowering" genes on phase-specific vegetative traits, and by examining the interaction between these genes and several mutations that cause the constitutive expression of a juvenile vegetative program (Tp1, Tp2 and Tp3). To obtain a more complete picture of the genetic regulation of phase change, several recently identified mutations that affect the expression of phase specific vegetative traits will be characterized at a cellular and molecular level. Other genes that regulate phase change will be identified by screening for suppressors of Tp2, and by screening for mutations that cause the precocious expression of adult vegetative traits. Finally, g115, a gene that regulates several juvenile traits, will be cloned by transposon-tagging.