Class A and class B MADS box genes fro rice flower development

We have previously isolated OsMADS4 gene that is a member of the class B MADS box genes from rice. In this study, another member of the class B MADS box genes was isolated from rice flower by the yeast two-hybrid screening method using OsMADS4 as bait. RNA blot analyses revealed that the clone, OsMADS16, was expressed in the second and third whorls, whereas the OsMADS4 transcripts were present in the second, third, and fourth whorls. These expression patterns of the OsMADS16 and OsMADS4 genes are very similar with those of AP3 and PI, the class B genes of Arabidopsis, respectively. In the yeast two-hybrid system, OsMADS4 interacted only with OsMADS16 among several rice MADS genes investigated, suggesting that OsMADS4 and OsMADS16 function as a heterodimer in specifying sepal and petal identities. We have also isolated OsMADS6 gene using OsMADS1 as a probe. Both are members of the AGL2 MADS family. Various MADS genes that encode for protein-protein interaction partners of the OsMADS6 protein were isolated by the yeast two-hybrid screening method. A majority of these genes belong to the AGL2 family. Sequence Homology, expression pattern, and ectopic expression phenotypes indicated that one of the interaction partners, OsMADS14, appears to be homologous to API, the class A MADS gene of Arabidopsis.