01909naa a2200217 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001910000220006024501320008226000090021452012420022365000120146565000140147765000190149165300090151070000270151970000200154670000150156670000230158177300870160416245252006-12-08       2005    bl ---       0--  u    #d1 aDIAS, B. F. de O.  aUnravelling MADS-box gene family in Eucalyptus spp.bA starting point to an understanding of their developmental role in trees.  c2005  aMADS-box genes encode a family of transcription factors which control diverse developmental processes in flowering plants raging from root to flower and fruit development. Members of the MADS-box gene family share a highy conserved sequence of approximately 180 nucleotides that encodes a DNA-binding domain. We used bioinformatics tools to investigate the imformation generated by the Eucalyptus Expressed Sequence Tag (FORESTs) genome project in order to identify and annotate MADS-box genes. The comparative phylogenetic analysis of the Eucalyptus MADS-box genes with Arabidopsis homologues allowed us to group them into one of the well-known subfamilies. Trends in gene expression of these putative Eucalyptus MADS-box genes were investigated by hierachical clustering analysis. Among 24 MADS-box genes identified by our analysis, 12 are expressed in vegetative organs. Out of these, five are expressed predominately in wood. Understanding of the molecular mechanisms perfomed by MADS-box proteins underlying Eucalyptus growth, development and stress reactrions would provide important insights into tree development and could reveal means by which tree characteristics could be modified for the improvement of industrial properties.  aÁrvore  aEucalipto  aEucalyptus spp  aTree1 aSIMÕES-ARAÚJO, J. L.1 aRUSSO, C. A. M.1 aMARGIS, R.1 aALVES-FERREIRA, M.  tGenetics and Molecular Biology, São Paulogv. 28, n. 3, Suppl., p. 501-510, 2005.