The flowering transition pathways converge into a complex gene regulatory network that underlies the phase changes of the shoot apical meristem in .

Post-embryonic plant development is characterized by a period of vegetative growth during which a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic signals triggers the transition to the reproductive phase. To understand how different flowering inducing and repressing signals are associated with phase transitions of the Shoot Apical Meristem (SAM), we incorporated available data into a gene regulatory network model for . This Flowering Transition Gene Regulatory Network (FT-GRN) formally constitutes a system-level mechanism based on more than three decades of experimental data on flowering.

Beyond the Genetic Pathways, Flowering Regulation Complexity in .

Flowering is one of the most critical developmental transitions in plants' life. The irreversible change from the vegetative to the reproductive stage is strictly controlled to ensure the progeny's success. In , seven flowering genetic pathways have been described under specific growth conditions.

MicroRNA Expression and Regulation During Maize Somatic Embryogenesis.

MicroRNAs are tiny molecules that strikingly change their expression patterns and distribution during somatic embryogenesis induction and plant regeneration. It is of great relevance to analyze simultaneously the microRNA and target mRNA fates to understand their role in promoting an adequate embryogenic response to external stimulus in the regenerating tissues. Here we describe a method to evaluate the expression patterns of miRNAs or other sRNAs and their target regulation in distinctive tissues observed during maize plant regeneration.

Small RNA differential expression and regulation in Tuxpeño maize embryogenic callus induction and establishment.

Somatic embryogenesis represents an alternative developmental process used to achieve genetic transformation and to approach key questions in maize development. It is known that embryogenic callus induction and plant regeneration are accompanied by microRNA expression changes. However, small RNA (sRNA) populations have not been explored during the proliferative callus subculture establishment and their impact on maintaining the dedifferentiated status and embryogenic potential is far from being completely understood.

Maize miRNA and target regulation in response to hormone depletion and light exposure during somatic embryogenesis.

Maize somatic embryogenesis (SE) is induced from the immature zygotic embryo in darkness and under the appropriate hormones' levels. Small RNA expression is reprogrammed and certain miRNAs become particularly enriched during induction while others, characteristic to the zygotic embryo, decrease. To explore the impact of different environmental cues on miRNA regulation in maize SE, we tested specific miRNA abundance and their target gene expression in response to photoperiod and hormone depletion for two different maize cultivars (VS-535 and H-565).