= Teosinte branched1
<Teosinte branched1>, conventionally written \i[tb1] for the <gene>, encodes a <transcription factor> that suppresses outgrowth of lateral <buds> in <maize>. It is a major component of the difference in <apical dominance> between cultivated <maize> and its wild <teosinte> relatives.
<John Doebley> and colleagues connected \i[tb1] expression and <mutant> morphology to suppression of axillary growth. Cultivated <maize> showed increased \i[tb1] expression in the relevant comparison, linking altered regulation of a developmental <gene> to a conspicuous domestication trait.<The evolution of apical dominance in maize by John Doebley and others>[1997, abstract: expression, mutant morphology and repression of axillary organs]{ref}
This illustrates why regulatory change matters: a large difference in branching need not require inventing an entirely new <protein>. Changing where or how strongly an existing regulator acts can reshape the <plant>.
Back to article page
