FT — Medicago truncatula

Summary

MTR_6G033040 (MtFT) encodes a phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein (PEBP family) with DNA-binding transcription factor activity and mRNA regulatory element binding translation repressor activity. In barrel medic, MtFT is associated with photoperiodism, vernalization response, floral whorl development, maintenance of floral meristem identity, meristem determinacy, secondary shoot formation, phloem development, and responses to strigolactone, nitrogen starvation, and short days. The gene is linked to traits including photoperiod-sensitive flowering time, inflorescence development and branch arrangement, spikelet floret size, seed viability, fruit set, vegetative vigor, stem length, leaf length, and responses to temperature stress, viral disease, UV and red light. MtFT localizes to plasmodesmata, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi, plastid, and mitochondria. Studies of related genes in other species link the family to flowering time, floral transition, seed dormancy, and photoperiodic flowering response.