Family LFY

LEAFY (LFY) is found in all land plants. The FLO/LFY family of transcription factors act as floral meristem identity genes that have roles in controlling homeotic genes that are separable from their roles in specifying floral fate, though the molecular mechanisms behind this have yet to be described(PMID:9783581). Their role in angiosperms is of course distinct from their role in other plants. The proteins are remarkably well conserved with two blocks of similarity, in the N- and C-terminal regions. It has been described that LFY directly regulates the transcription of the AP1-related (APETALA 1) gene CAL and of at least five additional genes by binding to the consensus CCANTG LFY-binding motif. Three of these genes encode putative transcription factors, and two of these genes encode putative signaling molecules, which control later processes in floral development (PMID:14736918).