Role of the FUL-SHP network in the evolution of fruit morphology and function

Abstract

Arabidopsis research in the last decade has started to unravel the genetic networks directing gynoecium and fruit patterning in this model species. Only recently, the work from several groups has also started to address the conservation of these networks in a wide number of species with very different fruit morphologies, and we are now beginning to understand how they might have evolved. This review summarizes recent advances in this field, focusing mainly on MADS-box genes with a well-known role in dehiscence zone development, while also discussing how these studies may contribute to expand our views on fruit evolution.