We analyzed the 4-kb intragenic control region of the AGAMOUS ( AG ) gene to gain insight into the mechanisms controlling its expression during early flower development. We identified three major expression patterns conferred by 19 AG ::reporter gene constructs: the normal AG pattern, a stamen-specific pattern, and a predominantly carpel pattern. To determine whether these three expression patterns were under negative control by APETALA2 ( AP2 ) or LEUNIG ( LUG ), we analyzed †-glucuronidase staining patterns in Arabidopsis plants homozygous for strong ap2 and lug mutations. Our results indicated that the stamen-specific pattern was independent of AP2 but dependent on LUG; conversely, the carpel-specific pattern was independent of LUG but dependent on AP2. These results lead to a model of control of AG expression such that expression in each of the two inner whorls is under independent positive and negative control.
INTRODUCTIONSpatial and temporal control of expression of genes responsible for floral organ identity is critical for normal flower development. Three classes of organ identity genes (classes A, B, and C) have been characterized both genetically and molecularly (reviewed in Irish, 1999;Ng and Yanofsky, 2000). Phenotypic analyses of plants that are mutant for an organ identity gene have shown that genes from each of these classes contribute to the specification of organ identity in two adjacent whorls. Furthermore, except for APETALA2 ( AP2 ), RNA coding for the organ identity genes also is predominantly expressed in a two-whorl domain. The importance of restricting expression to the normal domains is illustrated by the altered identities of organs observed in flowers of transgenic plants engineered to misexpress organ identity genes (Mandel et al., 1992;Mizukami and Ma, 1992;Krizek and Meyerowitz, 1996;Jack et al., 1997).Expression patterns of the class C organ identity gene AGAMOUS ( AG ) have been carefully documented (Bowman et al., 1991b;Drews et al., 1991). Early in flower development, AG RNA is first detected in the central apical region of late stage 3 floral meristems. As the organs emerge, AG RNA is found throughout the third-and fourth-whorl organ primordia (which give rise to stamens and carpels, respectively) but not in the two outer whorls (the sources of sepals and petals). As the floral organs are maturing, AG continues to be expressed in the third-and fourth-whorl organs. However, rather than the uniform pattern observed during early stages, by the time the flower opens, AG RNA is found only in specific types of stamen and carpel cells.How is the early flower expression pattern of AG RNA achieved? Genes that control AG expression were first identified on the basis of mutant phenotypes that suggested AG misexpression (Bowman et al., 1991a; Weigel et al., 1992;Weigel and Meyerowitz, 1993;Liu and Meyerowitz, 1995;Goodrich et al., 1997). Subsequent in situ hybridization analyses confirmed altered expression of AG and led investigators to distinguish between genes that function as either ...