表紙（左）と植物生理学会論文賞賞状（右）

Heading date 3a (Hd3a) gene in rice (a short-day plant) shares sequence and functional similarities with a floral pathway integrator gene, FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) in Arabidopsis (a long-day plant). The Hd3a gene is a potent promoter of the floral transition. Overexpression of sense Hd3a mRNA in rice caused extremely early heading (light panel). Expression of Hd3a and FT is regulated by photoperiods through the function of another conserved pair of genes, Heading date 1 (Hd1) and CONSTANS (CO), respectively. How Hd1 regulates Hd3a and how CO regulates FT are likely keys in understanding the differences in photoperiodic response between short-day and long-day plants.