Genetic and epigenetic regulation of flowering in rice

The timing of floral transition, which is directly related to reproductive fitness, is regulated by many environmental factors. Transduction of these environmental signals is sensed in several tissues as the primary adaptive signal for flowering, integrated into the plant's florigenic signaling pathway, and transmitted to the shoot apex, where the transition to reproductive organ development is initiated. Recent studies have identified the mobile signal, florigen, for photoperiod-dependent flowering, which is conserved between long-day plants (Arabidopsis) and short-day plants (rice). Vernalization also controls the flowering time of Arabidopsis by modifying the chromatin of the flowering repressor gene. Here, we review the molecular mechanisms that control photoperiodic flowering associated with the FT-like gene family, including epigenetic regulation in rice.