CLF — Brassica oleracea

Summary

BoCLF (CURLY LEAF) on cabbage chromosome 4 encodes a histone H3K27 methylase/trimethylase, a Polycomb-group protein with a SET domain, CXC domain and Tesmin/TSO1-like CXC domain. It is associated with chromatin silencing complexes and PcG protein complexes. The gene is linked to numerous developmental and agronomic traits, including leaf flexibility, leaf margin and vein morphology, cotyledon and sepal morphology, flower abscission, inflorescence and meristem development, photoperiod sensitivity, flowering time, vegetative-to-reproductive phase transition, yield, seedling hypocotyl length, root hair density, and responses to UV light, cytokinin and nitrate. It is associated with processes such as proximodistal and adaxial/abaxial axis specification, cotyledon morphogenesis, leaf formation, heterochromatin organization, epigenetic programming in the endosperm, and regulation of innate immune response. Studies of related genes in other species link the family to H3K27me3 deposition, floral homeotic gene expression, shoot and root development, disease resistance, and seed dormancy.