Hibiscus bullseyes reveal mechanisms controlling petal pattern proportions that influence plant-pollinator interactions
Riglet, Lucie ; Zardilis, Argyris ; Fairnie, Alice L.M. ; Yeo, May T. ; Jönsson, Henrik LU
and Moyroud, Edwige
(2024)
In Science Advances
10(37).
- Abstract
Colorful flower patterns are key signals to attract pollinators. To produce such motifs, plants specify boundaries dividing petals into subdomains where cells develop distinctive pigmentations, shapes, and textures. While some transcription factors and biosynthetic pathways behind these characteristics are well studied, the upstream processes restricting their activities to specific petal regions remain enigmatic. Here, we unveil that the petal surface of Hibiscus trionum, an emerging model featuring a bullseye on its corolla, is prepatterned as the bullseye boundary position is specified long before it becomes visible. Using a computational model, we explore how pattern proportions are maintained while petals experience a 100-fold size... (More)
Colorful flower patterns are key signals to attract pollinators. To produce such motifs, plants specify boundaries dividing petals into subdomains where cells develop distinctive pigmentations, shapes, and textures. While some transcription factors and biosynthetic pathways behind these characteristics are well studied, the upstream processes restricting their activities to specific petal regions remain enigmatic. Here, we unveil that the petal surface of Hibiscus trionum, an emerging model featuring a bullseye on its corolla, is prepatterned as the bullseye boundary position is specified long before it becomes visible. Using a computational model, we explore how pattern proportions are maintained while petals experience a 100-fold size increase. Exploiting transgenic lines and natural variants, we show that plants can regulate boundary position during the prepatterning phase or modulate growth on either side of this boundary later in development to vary bullseye proportions. Such modifications are functionally relevant, as buff-tailed bumblebees can reliably identify food sources based on bullseye size and prefer certain pattern proportions.
(Less)
- author
- Riglet, Lucie
; Zardilis, Argyris
; Fairnie, Alice L.M.
; Yeo, May T.
; Jönsson, Henrik
LU
and Moyroud, Edwige
- organization
- publishing date
- 2024-09
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Science Advances
- volume
- 10
- issue
- 37
- article number
- eadp5574
- publisher
- American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:39270029
- scopus:85204167833
- ISSN
- 2375-2548
- DOI
- 10.1126/sciadv.adp5574
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- db661de9-4450-4742-a877-71d3f04582d7
- date added to LUP
- 2024-11-22 11:44:19
- date last changed
- 2025-07-05 07:26:00
@article{db661de9-4450-4742-a877-71d3f04582d7,
abstract = {{<p>Colorful flower patterns are key signals to attract pollinators. To produce such motifs, plants specify boundaries dividing petals into subdomains where cells develop distinctive pigmentations, shapes, and textures. While some transcription factors and biosynthetic pathways behind these characteristics are well studied, the upstream processes restricting their activities to specific petal regions remain enigmatic. Here, we unveil that the petal surface of Hibiscus trionum, an emerging model featuring a bullseye on its corolla, is prepatterned as the bullseye boundary position is specified long before it becomes visible. Using a computational model, we explore how pattern proportions are maintained while petals experience a 100-fold size increase. Exploiting transgenic lines and natural variants, we show that plants can regulate boundary position during the prepatterning phase or modulate growth on either side of this boundary later in development to vary bullseye proportions. Such modifications are functionally relevant, as buff-tailed bumblebees can reliably identify food sources based on bullseye size and prefer certain pattern proportions.</p>}},
author = {{Riglet, Lucie and Zardilis, Argyris and Fairnie, Alice L.M. and Yeo, May T. and Jönsson, Henrik and Moyroud, Edwige}},
issn = {{2375-2548}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{37}},
publisher = {{American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)}},
series = {{Science Advances}},
title = {{Hibiscus bullseyes reveal mechanisms controlling petal pattern proportions that influence plant-pollinator interactions}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adp5574}},
doi = {{10.1126/sciadv.adp5574}},
volume = {{10}},
year = {{2024}},
}