The expression and promoter specificity of the birch homologs for PISTILLATA/GLOBOSA and APETALA3/DEFICIENS

B-function genes determine the identity of petals and stamens in the flowers of model plants such as Arabidopsis and Antirrhinum. Here, we show that a putative B-function gene BpMADS2, a birch homolog for PISTILLATA, is expressed in stamens and carpels of birch inflorescences. We also present a novel birch gene BpMADS8, a homolog for APETALA3/DEFICIENS, which is expressed in stamens. Promoter-GUS analysis revealed that BpMADS2 promoter is active in the receptacle of Arabidopsis flower buds while BpMADS8 promoter is highly specific in mature stamens. BpMADS2 promoter::BARNASE construct prevented floral organ development in Arabidopsis and tobacco. In birch, inflorescences with degenerated stamens and carpels were obtained. BpMADS8::BARNASE resulted in degeneration of stamens in Arabidopsis and birch causing male sterility. In tobacco, only sepals were developed instead of normal flowers. The results show that the BpMADS2::BARNASE construct can be used to specifically disrupt floral organ development in phylogenetically distant plant species. The stamen-specific promoter of BpMADS8 is a promising tool for biotechnological applications in inducing male sterility or targeting gene expression in the late stamen development.