The seminars take place on the Montpellier Institut Agro/INRAE Campus of La Gaillarde (2, place P. Viala Montpellier)

Tuesday december 16, 2025 – 14h – Amphi 208

Would Darwin be proud of us ?
Subtitle : Did twenty years of research on LEAFY function, structure and evolution contribute to make the abominable mystery less abominable and less mysterious

Abstract:

The rapid success and diversification of angiosperms, coupled with the apparent evolutionary leap in plant reproductive structures, left Darwin himself astounded. In a renowned letter, he referred to this as « the abominable mystery. » Over the past two decades, our research has focused on the transcription factor LEAFY, a primary regulator of flower development in all angiosperms. We investigate LEAFY’s function in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and other research groups spanning various plant species, from mosses to angiosperms, has further illuminated the role of this regulator. T. As our understanding of function progresses, the « abominable mystery » remains a constant reminder, prompting us to explore evolutionary perspectives on every functional or structural discovery. I will present these advances and share my insights into the molecular and structural evolution of flower formation.

Contact: Gabriel Krouk