FTA1 — Cicer arietinum

Summary

FTA1 (FT) on chickpea chromosome 3 encodes a phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein (PEBP family) with sequence-specific DNA binding and transcription factor activity, and is associated with mRNA regulatory element binding translation repressor activity. The gene is associated with photoperiodism, floral whorl development, maintenance of floral meristem identity, meristem determinacy, vernalization response, secondary shoot formation, and response to strigolactone. Associations include photoperiod-sensitive flowering time, inflorescence development and morphology, plant male sterility, seed viability, vegetative vigor, leaf and stem length, temperature stress response, viral disease response, and starch grain synthesis. The product localizes to plasmodesmata, ER, Golgi, plastid, mitochondria, and cytosol. Studies of related genes in other species link the family to flowering time, photoperiodic flowering response, seed dormancy, organ size, and grain yield.