AINTEGUMENTA-LIKE6 can functionally replace AINTEGUMENTA but alters Arabidopsis flower development when misexpressed at high levels

Expression differences underlie the functional differences between two related transcription factors: AINTEGUMENTA and AINTEGUMENTA-LIKE6. Ectopic expression of AINTEGUMENTA-LIKE6 at high levels alters floral organ initiation, growth and identity specification. AINTEGUMENTA (ANT) and AINTEGUMENTA-LIKE6 (AIL6) encode related transcription factors with partially overlapping roles in floral organ development in Arabidopsis thaliana. To investigate whether the functional differences between ANT and AIL6 are a consequence of differences in gene expression and/or protein activity, we made transgenic plants in which a genomic copy of AIL6 was expressed under the control of the ANT promoter. ANT:gAIL6 can rescue the floral organ size defects of ant mutants when AIL6 is expressed at similar levels as ANT in wild type. Thus, the functional differences between ANT and AIL6 result primarily from gene expression differences. However, lines that express AIL6 at higher levels display additional phenotypes that include reduced numbers of floral organs and the production of mosaic floral organs. These phenotypes were also observed in two different inducible AIL6 transgenic lines but not in 35S:ANT, suggesting that AIL6 protein may have activities distinct from ANT, although the in vivo relevance of such differences is not clear. Similar to 35S:ANT plants, overexpression of AIL6 in the inducible lines also results in the production of larger flowers. The distinct phenotypes resulting from AIL6 misexpression in the transgenic lines described here and those previously characterized appear to result from different levels and patterns of AIL6 expression.