The conversion from vegetative to inflorescence shoot apical meristem is one of the key developmental switches in flowering plants. This transition is modulated by various environmental and endogenous stimuli and controlled by sophisticated regulatory networks. Regulation of flowering time and inflorescence architecture has a great impact on plant reproductive success and significantly influences plant biomass and fitness. FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT), a mobile protein identified as a major component of florigen, promotes the transition to flowering, whereas its homologous protein TERMINAL FLOWER 1 (TFL1) functions oppositely. Studies in various species reveal that FT and TFL1 play universal and multifaceted roles in a wide range of developmental processes in plants. Hence, modulations of FT/TFL1 and their regulatory pathways have a considerable impact on plant development and crop domestication. Herein, an overview of the molecular basis underlying the regulation of FT/TFL1 expression and modulation of their protein trafficking and the relevant mechanisms in flowering time control and meristem development is provided. Whenever applicable, their functional conservation and divergence in various plant species are also discussed.

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Background Successful sexual reproduction in flowering plant requires extensive communications between male and female organs and tissues. Although RLKs have been proved to play critical roles in these communications, so far the identified RLKs are still limited. Here we performed a comprehensive analysis on differentially expressed RLKs in responding to pollination in Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica napus to contibute to further analysis on RLKs’ function in male-female communication. Result In this study, a total of 2,583 B. napus AtRLK orthologs were obtained. 89 AtRLKs showed obvious expression level changes after pollination in A. thaliana or in B. napus. Although 30 differentially expressed AtRLKs were opened anthers and anthers of mature flower before opening preferentially expressed or hydrated pollen-enriched, up to 79 AtRLKs corresponding to 129 B. napus orthologs showed obvious expression level changes at different time points after pollination. Among 89 differentially expressed AtRLKs after pollination, only 7 AtRLKs were shared by differently expressed genes during in vitro pollen tube growth, 3 of 7 AtRLKs’ expression level change tendency after pollination and during PTG were different. Conclusions Amount to 89 AtRLKs were differentially expressed in responding to pollination in A. thaliana and B. napus, and their expression level changes should be mainly induced by pollen-stigma interaction, several of them had been proved to function in male-female communication in the former reports.