FKF1, a Clock-Controlled Gene that Regulates the Transition to Flowering in Arabidopsis

Plant reproduction requires precise control of flowering in response to environmental cues. We isolated a late-flowering Arabidopsis mutant, fkf1, that is rescued by vernalization or gibberellin treatment. We positionally cloned FKF1, which encodes a novel protein with a PAS domain similar to the flavin-binding region of certain photoreceptors, an F box characteristic of proteins that direct ubiquitin-mediated degradation, and six kelch repeats predicted to fold into a β propeller. FKF1 mRNA levels oscillate with a circadian rhythm, and deletion of FKF1 alters the waveform of rhythmic expression of two clock-controlled genes, implicating FKF1 in modulating the Arabidopsis circadian clock.