AG — Arabidopsis thaliana

Summary

AT4G18960, designated AG (AGAMOUS) on Arabidopsis thaliana chromosome 4, encodes a MADS-box transcription factor containing MEF2-like and K-box domains. The AG protein exhibits sequence-specific DNA binding and transcription factor activity, and is annotated with histone H3K27me2/H3K27me3 demethylase activity. AG is associated with specification of stamen and carpel identity, anther and carpel morphogenesis, megasporocyte differentiation, embryo sac morphogenesis, and regulation of double fertilization. The gene is linked to numerous floral traits including carpel shape and number, stamen number, petal number, floral organ size, inflorescence branching, phyllotaxy, and flower morphology. AG is also connected to leaf area index, stem length, silique morphology, seed longevity, calcium concentration, and respiration rate. Studies of related genes in other species link the AG family to fruit ripening, carotenoid accumulation, and chloroplast development, and to sex determination.