Identification and characterization of regulatory pathways involved in early flowering in the new leaves of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) by transcriptome analysis

Abstract Background Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a perennial legume extensively planted throughout the world as a high nutritive value livestock forage. Flowering time is an important agronomic trait that contributes to the production of alfalfa hay and seeds. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of flowering time regulation in alfalfa are not well understood. Results In this study, an early-flowering alfalfa genotype 80 and a late-flowering alfalfa genotype 195 were characterized for the flowering phenotype. Our analysis revealed that the lower jasmonate (JA) content in new leaves and the downregulation of JA biosynthetic genes (i.e. lipoxygenase, the 12-oxophytodienoate reductase-like protein, and salicylic acid carboxyl methyltransferase) may play essential roles in the early-flowering phenotype of genotype 80. Further research indicated that genes encode pathogenesis-related proteins [e.g. leucine rich repeat (LRR) family proteins, receptor-like proteins, and toll-interleukin-like receptor (TIR)-nucleotide-binding site (NBS)-LRR class proteins] and members of the signaling receptor kinase family [LRR proteins, kinases domain of unknown function 26 (DUF26) and wheat leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase10 (LRK10)-like kinases] are related to early flowering in alfalfa. Additionally, those involved in secondary metabolism (2-oxoglutarate/Fe (II)-dependent dioxygenases and UDP-glycosyltransferase) and the proteasome degradation pathway [really interesting new gene (RING)/U-box superfamily proteins and F-box family proteins] are also related to early flowering in alfalfa. Conclusions Integrated phenotypical, physiological, and transcriptomic analyses demonstrate that hormone biosynthesis and signaling pathways, pathogenesis-related genes, signaling receptor kinase family genes, secondary metabolism genes, and proteasome degradation pathway genes are responsible for the early flowering phenotype in alfalfa. This will provide new insights into future studies of flowering time in alfalfa and inform genetic improvement strategies for optimizing this important trait.

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The inheritance of flowering time in Townsville stylo (Stylosanthes humilis)

Australian Journal of Agricultural Research ◽

10.1071/ar9760825 ◽

1976 ◽

Vol 27 (6) ◽

pp. 825 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

DF Cameron

Keyword(s):

Flowering Time ◽

Dominant Gene ◽

Diallel Cross ◽

Early Flowering ◽

Multiple Alleles ◽

Locus Model ◽

Stylosanthes Humilis ◽

Townsville Stylo ◽

Maturity Groups ◽

Early Flowering Phenotype

The inheritance of flowering time was studied in F1, F2 and F3 populations derived from a diallel cross among nine naturalized Australian lines of Townsville stylo (Stylosnnthes humilis) and in F1 and F2 populations from a small number of crosses between naturalized Australian lines and introductions from Mexico and Brazil. Strong dominance for lateness of flowering was observed in both the (Australian x Australian) and the (Australian x Mexican/Brazilian introductions) crosses, and some F2 and F3 progenies included small numbers of extremely early plants, flowering up to 55 days earlier than the earliest parent. The flowering time distributions of the (Australian x Australian) crosses could be explained by a three-locus model with multiple alleles at two loci. Proposed genotypes for the four maturity groups are as follows: late, LLM2M2EE; late-midseason, LLmmEE; mid-season, l2l2M2M2EE; early, l1l1M1M1EE; very early, LLM2M2ee. Only one major dominant gene for lateness of flowering could be detected from the distribution of the two (Australian x introduced line) F2 populations, but the segregation of extremely early types and the low recovery of the early-flowering phenotype suggested that other gene loci were segregating.

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ZjSEP3 modulates flowering time by regulating the LHY promoter

BMC Plant Biology ◽

10.1186/s12870-021-03305-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Weilin Gao ◽

Liman Zhang ◽

Jiurui Wang ◽

Zhiguo Liu ◽

Yao Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Transgenic Plants ◽

Flowering Time ◽

Plant Species ◽

Transcriptional Activation ◽

Chlorophyll Synthesis ◽

Early Flowering ◽

Mobility Shift ◽

Expression Of Genes ◽

Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assays ◽

Early Flowering Phenotype

Abstract Background SEPALLATA3 (SEP3), which is conserved across various plant species, plays essential and various roles in flower and fruit development. However, the regulatory network of the role of SEP3 in flowering time at the molecular level remained unclear. Results Here, we investigated that SEP3 in Ziziphus jujuba Mill. (ZjSEP3) was expressed in four floral organs and exhibited strong transcriptional activation activity. ZjSEP3 transgenic Arabidopsis showed an early-flowering phenotype and altered the expression of some genes related to flowering. Among them, the expression of LATE ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL (AtLHY), the key gene of circadian rhythms, was significantly suppressed. Yeast one-hybrid (Y1H) and electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) further verified that ZjSEP3 inhibited the transcription of AtLHY by binding to the CArG-boxes in its promoter. Moreover, ZjSEP3 also could bind to the ZjLHY promoter and the conserved binding regions of ZjSEP3 were found in the LHY promoter of various plant species. The ectopic regulatory pathway of ZjSEP3-AtLHY was further supported by the ability of 35S::AtLHY to rescue the early-flowering phenotype in ZjSEP3 transgenic plants. In ZjSEP3 transgenic plants, total chlorophyll content and the expression of genes involved in chlorophyll synthesis increased during vegetative stages, which should contribute to its early flowering and relate to the regulatory of AtLHY. Conclusion Overall, ZjSEP3-AtLHY pathway represents a novel regulatory mechanism that is involved in the regulation of flowering time.

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New Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the BTC1 gene of Sugar Beet

Biotekhnologiya ◽

10.21519/0234-2758-2020-36-6-49-54 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 36 (6) ◽

pp. 49-54

Author(s):

A.A. Nalbandyan ◽

T.P. Fedulova ◽

I.V. Cherepukhina ◽

T.I. Kryukova ◽

N.R. Mikheeva ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sugar Beet ◽

Flowering Time ◽

Molecular Genetic ◽

Bioinformatic Analysis ◽

Early Flowering ◽

Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Nucleotide Substitutions ◽

Time Control ◽

Flowering Time Control ◽

Exon 10

The flowering time control gene of various sugar beet plants has been studied. The BTC1 gene is a regulator for the suppressor (flowering time 1) and inducer (flowering time 2) genes of this physiological process. The F9/R9 primer pair was used for polymerase chain reaction; these primers are specific to the BTC1 gene region containing exon 9, as well as intron and exon 10. For the first time, nucleotide substitutions in exon 10 of BTC1 gene were identified in bolting sensitive samples (HF1 and BF1), which led to a change in the amino acid composition of the coded polypeptide chain. Based on the results of bioinformatic analysis, it can be assumed that certain nucleotide polymorphisms in the BTC1 gene may determine with a high probability the predisposition of sugar beet genotypes to early flowering. The use of the Geneious Prime tool for the analysis of the BTC1 gene sequences may allow the culling of genotypes prone to early flowering at early stages of selection. sugar beet, flowering gene, BTC1, genetic polymorphism, PCR, molecular genetic markers, selection

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Quantitative Control of Early Flowering in White Lupin (Lupinus albus L.)

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22083856 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (8) ◽

pp. 3856

Author(s):

Sandra Rychel-Bielska ◽

Anna Surma ◽

Wojciech Bielski ◽

Bartosz Kozak ◽

Renata Galek ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Flowering Time ◽

Association Studies ◽

Lupinus Albus ◽

Genotypic Diversity ◽

Early Flowering ◽

White Lupin ◽

Genome Wide Association Studies ◽

Interacting Protein ◽

Major Qtls ◽

Lupinus Albus L

White lupin (Lupinus albus L.) is a pulse annual plant cultivated from the tropics to temperate regions for its high-protein grain as well as a cover crop or green manure. Wild populations are typically late flowering and have high vernalization requirements. Nevertheless, some early flowering and thermoneutral accessions were found in the Mediterranean basin. Recently, quantitative trait loci (QTLs) explaining flowering time variance were identified in bi-parental population mapping, however, phenotypic and genotypic diversity in the world collection has not been addressed yet. In this study, a diverse set of white lupin accessions (n = 160) was phenotyped for time to flowering in a controlled environment and genotyped with PCR-based markers (n = 50) tagging major QTLs and selected homologs of photoperiod and vernalization pathway genes. This survey highlighted quantitative control of flowering time in white lupin, providing statistically significant associations for all major QTLs and numerous regulatory genes, including white lupin homologs of CONSTANS, FLOWERING LOCUS T, FY, MOTHER OF FT AND TFL1, PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR 4, SKI-INTERACTING PROTEIN 1, and VERNALIZATION INDEPENDENCE 3. This revealed the complexity of flowering control in white lupin, dispersed among numerous loci localized on several chromosomes, provided economic justification for future genome-wide association studies or genomic selection rather than relying on simple marker-assisted selection.

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Molecular cloning and expression of GRK6. A new member of the G protein-coupled receptor kinase family.

Journal of Biological Chemistry ◽

10.1016/s0021-9258(19)36546-9 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 268 (26) ◽

pp. 19521-19527 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

J.L. Benovic ◽

J Gomez

Keyword(s):

Molecular Cloning ◽

G Protein ◽

Cloning And Expression ◽

Receptor Kinase ◽

G Protein Coupled Receptor ◽

Kinase Family ◽

G Protein Coupled

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CLAVATA1-LIKE, a leucine-rich-repeat protein receptor kinase gene differentially expressed during adventitious caulogenesis in Pinus pinaster and Pinus pinea

Plant Cell Tissue and Organ Culture (PCTOC) ◽

10.1007/s11240-012-0240-8 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 112 (3) ◽

pp. 331-342 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

José M. Alvarez ◽

Millán Cortizo ◽

Natalia Bueno ◽

Ana Rodríguez ◽

Ricardo J. Ordás

Keyword(s):

Pinus Pinaster ◽

Pinus Pinea ◽

Differentially Expressed ◽

Receptor Kinase ◽

Leucine Rich Repeat ◽

Kinase Gene ◽

Repeat Protein ◽

Protein Receptor ◽

Leucine Rich Repeat Protein

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A new dominant locus, E11, controls early flowering time and maturity in soybean

Molecular Breeding ◽

10.1007/s11032-019-0978-3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 39 (5) ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Feifei Wang ◽

Haiyang Nan ◽

Liyu Chen ◽

Chao Fang ◽

Hanyun Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Flowering Time ◽

Early Flowering

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Members of the G Protein-Coupled Receptor Kinase Family That Phosphorylate the β2-Adrenergic Receptor Facilitate Sequestration†

Biochemistry ◽

10.1021/bi952961+ ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 35 (13) ◽

pp. 4155-4160 ◽

Cited By ~ 58

Author(s):

Luc Ménard ◽

Stephen S. G. Ferguson ◽

Larry S. Barak ◽

Lucie Bertrand ◽

Richard T. Premont ◽

...

Keyword(s):

G Protein ◽

Adrenergic Receptor ◽

Receptor Kinase ◽

G Protein Coupled Receptor ◽

Kinase Family ◽

Β2 Adrenergic Receptor ◽

G Protein Coupled

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Dehydroabietinal promotes flowering time and plant defense in Arabidopsis via the autonomous pathway genes FLOWERING LOCUS D, FVE, and RELATIVE OF EARLY FLOWERING 6

Journal of Experimental Botany ◽

10.1093/jxb/eraa232 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 71 (16) ◽

pp. 4903-4913 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Zulkarnain Chowdhury ◽

Devasantosh Mohanty ◽

Mrunmay K Giri ◽

Barney J Venables ◽

Ratnesh Chaturvedi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Flowering Time ◽

Systemic Acquired Resistance ◽

Defense Mechanism ◽

Acquired Resistance ◽

Early Flowering ◽

Negative Regulator ◽

Flowering Locus T ◽

Autonomous Pathway ◽

Abietane Diterpenoids ◽

Flowering Locus

Abstract Abietane diterpenoids are tricyclic diterpenes whose biological functions in angiosperms are largely unknown. Here, we show that dehydroabietinal (DA) fosters transition from the vegetative phase to reproductive development in Arabidopsis thaliana by promoting flowering time. DA’s promotion of flowering time was mediated through up-regulation of the autonomous pathway genes FLOWERING LOCUS D (FLD), RELATIVE OF EARLY FLOWERING 6 (REF6), and FVE, which repress expression of FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC), a negative regulator of the key floral integrator FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT). Our results further indicate that FLD, REF6, and FVE are also required for systemic acquired resistance (SAR), an inducible defense mechanism that is also activated by DA. However, unlike flowering time, FT was not required for DA-induced SAR. Conversely, salicylic acid, which is essential for the manifestation of SAR, was not required for the DA-promoted flowering time. Thus, although the autonomous pathway genes FLD, REF6, and FVE are involved in SAR and flowering time, these biological processes are not interdependent. We suggest that SAR and flowering time signaling pathways bifurcate at a step downstream of FLD, REF6, and FVE, with an FLC-dependent arm controlling flowering time, and an FLC-independent pathway controlling SAR.

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