A putative G1 cyclin gene, Antma;CycD1;1 (CycD1), from Antirrhinum majus is known to be expressed throughout the cell cycle in the meristem and other actively proliferating cells. To test its role in cell cycle progression, we examined the effect of CycD1 expression in the tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) cell suspension culture BY-2. Green fluorescent protein:CycD1 is located in the nucleus through...

Vegetative-reproductive phase change is an indispensable event which guarantees several aspects of successful meristem behaviour and organ development. Antirrhinum majus undergoes drastic changes of shoot architecture during the phase change, including phyllotactic change and leaf type alteration from opposite decussate to spiral. However, the regulation mechanism in both of phyllotactic morpho...

Monosymmetry evolved several times independently during flower evolution. In snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus), a key gene for monosymmetry is CYCLOIDEA (CYC), which belongs to the class II TCP gene family encoding transcriptional activators. We address the questions of the evolutionary history of this gene family and of possible recruitment of genes homologous to CYC in floral development and sym...

Although several studies indicate high effectiveness in the use of the hydroethanolic extract from Tropaeolum majus (HETM) as a diuretic, the impact of its prolonged use in the presence of low estrogen levels remains unclear. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the diuretic effects of prolonged administration of HETM in ovariectomized rats and their interrelationship between calcium ...

The Rosea1, Rosea2, and Venosa genes encode MYB-related transcription factors active in the flowers of Antirrhinum majus. Analysis of mutant phenotypes shows that these genes control the intensity and pattern of magenta anthocyanin pigmentation in flowers. Despite the structural similarity of these regulatory proteins, they influence the expression of target genes encoding the enzymes of anthoc...

The ABC model for floral development was proposed more than 10 years ago and since then many studies have been performed on model species, such as Arabidopsis thaliana, Antirrhinum majus, and many other species in order to confirm this hypothesis. This led to additional information on flower development and to more complex molecular models. AGAMOUS (AG) is the only C type gene in Arabidopsis an...

M ost snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus) live in scientific obscurity, taking a humble place in springtime gardens or bouquets. However, in the 1980s, molecular geneticist Enrico Coen helped to place these lowly plants in the spotlight. His work at the John Innes Center (JIC) in Norwich, U.K., used snapdragons as a model organism for studying plant development. Coen has identified and cloned sever...