RABBIT EARS, encoding a SUPERMAN-like zinc finger protein, regulates petal development in Arabidopsis thaliana

Floral organs usually initiate at fixed positions in concentric whorls within a flower. Although it is understood that floral homeotic genes determine the identity of floral organs, the mechanisms of position determination and the development of each organ have not been clearly explained. We isolated a novel mutant, rabbit ears (rbe), with defects in petal development. In rbe, underdeveloped petals are formed at the correct position in a flower, and the initiation of petal primordia is altered. The rbe mutation affects the second whorl organ shapes independently of the organ identity. RBE encodes a SUPERMAN-like protein and is located in the nucleus, and thus may be a transcription factor. RBE transcripts are expressed in petal primordia and their precursor cells, and disappeared at later stages. When cells that express RBE are ablated genetically, no petal primordia arise. RBE is not expressed in ap1-1 and ptl-1 mutants, indicating that RBE acts downstream of AP1 and PTL genes. These characteristics suggest that RBE is required for the early development of the organ primordia of the second whorl.