Florigen: One Found, More to Follow?

Florigen(s) are molecules that are synthesized in response to appropriate photoperiods and transmitted from leaves to shoot apices to promote floral initiation. It has been recently discovered in Arabidopsis that mRNA of the FT gene acts as a florigen. In Arabidopsis, cryptochromes and phytochromes mediate longday promotion of CO protein expression, which activates FT mRNA expression in leaves. FT mRNA is transmitted to the shoot apex, where it acts together with FD to activate transcription of floral meristem identity genes, resulting in floral initiation. The discovery of the molecular nature of a florigen was a major scientific breakthrough in 2005.