FTA3 — Cicer arietinum

Summary

FTA3 (FT) on chickpea chromosome 2 encodes a phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein (PEBP family) with DNA-binding transcription factor activity and mRNA regulatory element binding translation repressor activity. The gene is associated with photoperiodism, floral whorl development, maintenance of floral meristem identity, meristem determinacy, and vernalization response. It is linked to responses to strigolactone, nitrogen and potassium starvation, and temperature compensation of the circadian clock. Associations include flowering time, photoperiod sensitivity, shoot axis branching, axillary bud dormancy, seed viability, fruit set, vegetative vigor, and stress responses including spot blotch disease, temperature stress, and viral disease. The protein localizes to plasmodesmata, endoplasmic reticulum, plastids, and mitochondria. Studies of related genes in other species link the family to flowering time, photoperiodic flowering response, seed dormancy, and inflorescence architecture.