Superman (gene)

"SUPERMAN" is a plant gene in "Arabidopsis thaliana" that plays a role in controlling the boundary between stamen and carpel development in a flower. [cite web
date = 2006-02-01
url = http://www.arabidopsis.org/servlets/TairObject?id=26981&type=gene
title = "Gene Model: SUP"
work = The Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR)
accessdate = 2007-01-23] It is named for the comic book character Superman, and the related genes "kryptonite (gene)" and "clark kent" were named accordingly (although the latter turns out to just be another form of "superman"). [cite web
date = 2005-12-03
url = http://tinman.vetmed.helsinki.fi/eng/arabidopsis.html
title = "Clever Arabidopsis gene names"
work = Clever gene names
publisher = Mikael Niku and Mikko Taipale
accessdate = 2007-01-23] It encodes a transcription factor (specifically a C2H2 type zinc finger protein). [cite journal | url = http://pcp.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/43/1/52 | title = Ectopic Expression of SUPERMAN Suppresses Development of Petals and Stamens | author = Jae-Young Yun, Detlef Weigel and Ilha Lee | journal = Plant and Cell Physiology | year = 2002 | volume = 43 | issue = 1 | pages = 52–57 | doi = 10.1093/pcp/pcf018] Homologous genes are known in the petuniacite journal | url = http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=412866 | journal = Plant Cell | date = 2004 April | volume = 16 | issue = 4 | pages = 920–932 | doi = 10.1105/tpc.018838 | title = The Petunia Ortholog of Arabidopsis SUPERMAN Plays a Distinct Role in Floral Organ Morphogenesis | author = Hitoshi Nakagawa, Silvia Ferrario, Gerco C. Angenent, Akira Kobayashi, and Hiroshi Takatsuji] and snapdragon [ [http://www.nature.com/nrg/journal/v4/n8/box/nrg1127_BX3.html Box 3: The control of floral determinacy in Antirrhinum and Arabidopsis] from cite journal | title = An everlasting pioneer: the story of Antirrhinum research | author = Zsuzsanna Schwarz-Sommer, Brendan Davies & Andrew Hudson | journal = Nature Reviews Genetics | volume = 4 | pages = 655–664 | date = August 2003 | doi = 10.1038/nrg1127 ] , which are also involved in flower development, although in both cases there are important differences from the functioning in "Arabidopsis". "Superman" is expressed early on in flower development, in the stamen whorl adjacent to the carpel whorl. It interacts with the other genes of the ABC model of flower development in a variety of ways.

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