背景回顾：The plant circadian clock regulates essential biological processes including flowering time or petal movement. 

提出问题：However, little is known about how the clock functions in flowers. 

主要发现：Here, we identified the circadian components and transcriptional networks contributing to the generation of rhythms in pistils, the female reproductive organ. 

结果1-雌蕊节律现象：When detached from the rest of the flower, pistils sustain highly precise rhythms, indicating organ-specific circadian autonomy. 

结果2-雌蕊节律机制：Analyses of clock mutants and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed distinct expression patterns and specific regulatory functions for clock activators and repressors in pistils. Genetic interaction studies also suggested a hierarchy of the repressing activities that provide robustness and precision to the pistil clock.  

结果3-雌蕊节律作用：Globally, the circadianfunction in pistils primarily governs responses to environmental stimuli and photosynthesis and controls pistil growth and seed weight and production. 

结论：Understanding the circadian intricacies in reproductive organs may prove useful for optimizing plant reproduction and productivity.

 摘 要 

植物生物钟调控包括开花时间和花瓣运动在内的诸多生物学过程。但是，生物钟如何作用于花的还不清楚。本文中，作者鉴定到了作用于植物雌性生殖器官，即雌蕊节律产生的生物钟组分及转录网络。当把雌蕊从花器官中解离下来后，其仍会保持高度精确的节律，表明存在一个器官特异性的生物钟自主。通过对生物钟突变体及染色质免疫沉淀分析，作者发现雌蕊中的生物钟激活子和抑制子存在不同的表达模式和特异性的调控功能。遗传互作研究同样表明，一个层级生物钟抑制活性为雌蕊的生物钟提供了稳健性和精确性。总体上，雌蕊的生物钟功能主要控制其对环境刺激和光合作用的响应，并控制雌蕊的生长及种子的重量和产量。了解植物生殖器官生物钟的复杂性可能有助于最优化植物的生殖和生产。