Synchronization of the flowering transition by the tomato TERMINATING FLOWER gene

Abstract

The transition to flowering is a major determinant of plant architecture, and variation in the timing of flowering can have profound effects on inflorescence architecture, flower production and yield. Here, we show that the tomato mutant terminating flower (tmf) flowers early and converts the multiflowered inflorescence into a solitary flower as a result of precocious activation of a conserved floral specification complex encoded by ANANTHA (AN) and FALSIFLORA (FA). Without TMF, the coordinated flowering process is disrupted, causing floral identity genes, such as AN and members of the SEPALLATA (SEP) family, to activate precociously, while the expression of flowering transition genes, such as FRUITFULL (FUL), is delayed. Indeed, driving AN expression precociously is sufficient to cause early flowering, and this expression transforms multiflowered inflorescences into normal solitary flowers resembling those of the Solanaceae species petunia and tobacco. Thus, by timing AN activation, TMF synchronizes flower formation with the gradual reproductive transition, which, in turn, has a key role in determining simple versus complex inflorescences.