HMG1 — Lactuca sativa

Summary

LsHMG1 (HMG1) on chromosome 4 of garden lettuce encodes a hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR). The gene is associated with the MVA pathway, isoprenoid, sterol, triterpenoid, saponin, terpenoid, and phenylpropanoid anabolism, as well as coenzyme A and pyruvate metabolism. It is linked to responses to jasmonic acid and absence of light. The product localizes to multiple membranes including the endoplasmic reticulum, plastid, chloroplast, peroxisome, and mitochondrial membranes, as well as the nucleus. LsHMG1 is associated with plant height, biomass, photosynthetic rate, flowering time, male fertility, seed phytosterol content, herbivore resistance, pathogen and wound responses, and flower morphology and color. Studies of related genes in other species further link the HMGR family to isoprenoid biosynthesis, phytosterol content, and disease resistance.