RNAi of AGAMOUS genes in sweetgum alters reproductive organ identity and decreases fruit persistence.

Sweetgums (), members of the family Altingiaceae (Altingiales), have inflorescences and floral organs that are distinctive in structure compared with other angiosperms in which the roles of floral homeotic genes have been studied. To begin to understand the role of AGAMOUS (AG)-a floral homeotic gene that has a major role in stamen and carpel development-in development of the monosexual flowers of sweetgum, we used RNAi to reduce the expression of two members of the subfamily. Because suppression should induce floral sterility, RNAi might also provide a tool to mitigate the risks of invasiveness-and to reduce the production of its nuisance fruits or allergenic pollen-when sweetgum is used as an exotic shade or forest tree.