CLONING AND SEQUENCE-ANALYSIS OF A FLO/LFY HOMOLOG ISOLATED FROM CAULIFLOWER (BRASSICA-OLERACEA L VAR BOTRYTIS)

A cDNA library has been constructed from cauliflower curd in which floral development had been initiated. Two cDNAs (pBOFH3 and pBOFH8) have been isolated using the Antirrhinum flo gene as a heterologous probe. The two clones were sequenced and found to contain introns. Comparison of the deduced cDNA sequence of bofh with flo and the Arabidopsis homologue lfy reveals extensive homology. An mRNA transcript of 1.6 kb appears on northern RNA blots. This transcript can be detected, at low levels, before any obvious signs of floral differentiation, reflecting the role bofh plays in determining floral meristem identity.