Factors influencing branching in plants
Branching is influenced by environmental stimuli such as available sunlight and plant signalling (to control gene expression through transcription factors). BRANCHED1 (BRC1) in particular is a transcription factor protein that controls the expression of a large number of genes related to branching.The EU-funded 'Characterisation of the integrative and conserved role of BRC1 in lateral branching control' (EVOBRANCHINGCONTROL2) project aimed to understand the mechanisms employed by BRC1 to control branching in Solanum tuberosum potato plants.Researchers found that S. tuberosum has two copies (called orthologues) of BRC1, called StBRC1a and StBRC1b. They created transgenic potato plants in which each orthologue was inactivated or overexpressed to uncover the role that each transcription factor plays.Experiments revealed that StBRC1a seems to control branching both above and below ground, while StBRC1b is involved in forming tubers. Both transcription factors interacted with each other and with an important tuberisation gene known as SP6A.This is the first time that these transcription factors have been studied in the potato crop. The knowledge gained will be useful in plant breeding programmes to produce improved potato cultivars.
