Gene regulatory networks of floral development in Papilionoideae

The various floral structures of plants are attributed to their styles of procreation and living environment, which are the results of their coevolution with pollinators to adapt to the external environment.Leguminous plants exhibit different flower types and provide abundant food and living resources for human beings.As the largest subfamily of Leguminosae, Papilionoideae plants display more sophisticated procedures and structures than Arabidopsis, such as compound inflorescence, common primordium and asymmetrical floral organs, so this subfamily possesses plenty of floral variations for the study of floral development.In this paper, we surveyed the progress of floral development in Papilionoideae through four representative plants, Glycine max, Pisum sativum, Medicago truncatula and Lotus japonicas, and summarized the gene regulatory networks of floral meristem identity, inflorescence, floral organ identity and floral symmetry.This work would provide theoretical basis for a comprehensive understanding of floral development and improvement in Leguminosae.