Wild type and mvp2 (maintained vegetative phase) deletion mutant T. monococcum plants incapable of flowering were compared in order to determine the effect of the deleted region of chromosome 5A on transcript profile and hormone metabolism. This region contains the vernalization1 (VRN1) gene, a major regulator of the vegetative/generative transition. Transcript profiling in the crowns of T. monococcum during the transition and the subsequent formation of flower primordia showed that 306 genes were affected by the mutation, 198 by the developmental phase and 14 by the interaction of these parameters. In addition, 546 genes were affected by two or three factors. The genes controlled by the deleted region encode transcription factors, antioxidants and enzymes of hormone, carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism. The observed changes in the expression of the gene encoding phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) might indicate the effect of mvp2 mutation on the metabolism of salicylic acid, which was corroborated by the differences in 2-hydroxycinnamic acid and cinnamic acid contents in both of the leaves and crowns, and in the concentrations of salicylic acid and benzoic acid in crowns during the vegetative/generative transition. The amount and ratio of active cytokinins and their derivatives (ribosides, glucosides and phosphates) were affected by developmental changes as well as by mvp2 mutation, too.

Agricultural Institute Centre for Agricultural Research Hungarian Academy of Sciences Martonvásár 2462 Hungary

Festetics Doctoral School Georgikon Faculty University of Pannonia Keszthely 8360 Hungary

Laboratory of Growth Regulators Centre of the Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research Institute of Experimental Botany AS CR and Faculty of Science Palacký University 78 371 Olomouc Czech Republic

Laboratory of Hormonal Regulations in Plants Institute of Experimental Botany Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic 165 02 Prague 6 Czech Republic

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