A quick glance at noteworthy articles for August 2021

Abstract

A quick glance at noteworthy articles for August 2021 MOLECULAR UNDERPINNINGS OF NECTAR SPUR DEVELOPMENT IN NASTURTIUMSNasturtiums (Tropaeolum spp., Tropaeolaceae) are the only members of the Brassicales that develop nectar spurs and bilaterally symmetrical flowers. Both the structural homology and the genes responsible for spur development were unknown. Martínez-Salazar et al. use scanning electron and light microscopy, as well as a candidate gene approach, to understand spur development. They show that both sepals and petals contribute to the formation of the spur, and they isolated candidate genes putatively involved in floral bilateral symmetry and spur initiation in T. longifolium. Only three of the 23 genes isolated exhibit differential expression between the region of the floral tube forming the spur and the region lacking a spur. Interestingly, two of these spur-controlling transcription factors are found only in Tropaeolacaeae, providing a plausible scenario for neo-functionalization after gene duplication. This research sets the stage for evo-devo studies outside the model Arabidopsis thaliana and other core Brassicales.