LLFY, A LONGAN LEAFY ORTHOLOG, IS ASSOCIATED WITH DIFFERENTIATION AND MAINTENANCE OF INFLORESCENCE BUD

An ortholog of LEAFY, LLFY (longan LFY) was isolated the floral buds of longan (Dimocarpus longan L.) trees. The LLFY gene consists of a 1,167-bp open reading frame and encodes a putative protein of 389 amino acids, which are 62.5% identical to LFY and 76.98% to csLFY (the homolog of LFY from Citrus sinensis). RT-PCR analysis showed that LLFY transcripts increased during the physiological and morphogenesis differentiation of inflorescence. On the other hand, LLFY transcripts decreased during ‘leafing-out’ (inflorescence reversion). These results suggest that LLFY is involved in inflorescence differentiation and maintenance in longan.