背景回顾：A level of redundancy and interplay among the transcriptional regulators of floral development safeguards the plant's reproductive success, and ensures crop production. 

主要发现：Herein, an additional layer of complexity in the regulation of floral meristem (FM) identity and flower development is elucidated linking carotenoid biosynthesis and metabolism to the regulation of determinate flowering. 

结果1：The accumulation and subsequent cleavage of a diverse array of ζ-carotenes in the chloroplast biogenesis 5 (clb5) mutant of Arabidopsis results in the reprogramming of meristematic gene regulatory networks establishing FM identity mirroring that of the FM identity master regulator, APETALA1 (AP1). 

结果2：The immediate transition to floral development in clb5 requires long photoperiods in a GIGANTEA-independent manner, while AP1 is essential for clb5's floral organ development. 

结论：The elucidation of this link between carotenoid metabolism and floral development translates to tomato exposing a novel regulation of FM identity redundant to and initiated by AP1 and proposed to be dependent on the E class floral initiation and organ identity regulator, SEPALLATA3 (SEP3).

花发育转录调控因子之间的冗余和互作能够确保植物生殖的成功，保证作物产量。本文中，作者揭示了花分生组织一致性和花发育复杂调控的另一层机制，即类胡萝卜素生物合成与代谢参与有限开花的调控。拟南芥叶绿体合成突变体clb5中一系列ζ-胡萝卜素的积累和裂解，导致建立花分生组织一致性的分生基因调控网络的重编程，类似于花分生组织一致性主要调控子AP1。clb5突变体向花发育的直接转变需要长光周期，并且不依赖于GIGANTEA，而AP1对于clb5突变体花器官的发育是必需的。类胡萝卜素代谢和花发育之间的这种联系的阐明，揭示了一个与AP1冗余且由AP1起始的新的花分生组织一致性调控机制，并且被认为依赖于E类花起始和器官一致性调控子SEP3。

** Barry J. Pogson **