Evolutionary and polymorphic organization of the knotted1 homeobox in cereals

 Homeobox genes are the master control genes harbouring the homeobox which is crucial for developmental associated functions. One homeobox gene, knotted1, which has a role in leaf development, is conserved in plants and might have arisen from a single ancestral gene. Using PCR, we identified multiple kn1 homeoboxes in diverse cereals and showed a cereal/ species-specific organization correlating them to evolutionary changes. We postulate the insertion of a large intron preceded by duplication of the kn1 homeobox in the lineage leading to rice. Received: 17 October 1997 / Accepted: 9 December 1997