Inflorescence Development and the Role of LsFT in Regulating Bolting in Lettuce ( Lactuca sativa L.)

Lettuce ( L.) is one of the most important leafy vegetable that is consumed during its vegetative growth. The transition from vegetative to reproductive growth is induced by high temperature, which has significant economic effect on lettuce production. However, the progression of floral transition and the molecular regulation of bolting are largely unknown. Here we morphologically characterized the inflorescence development and functionally analyzed the gene during bolting regulation in lettuce. We described the eight developmental stages during floral transition process. The expression of was negatively correlated with bolting in different lettuce varieties, and was promoted by heat treatment. Overexpression of could recover the late-flowering phenotype of mutant. Knockdown of by RNA interference dramatically delayed bolting in lettuce, and failed to respond to high temperature. Therefore, this study dissects the process of inflorescence development and characterizes the role of in bolting regulation in lettuce.