The Floral Repressor <i>GmFLC-like</i> Is Involved in Regulating Flowering Time Mediated by Low Temperature in Soybean
Soybean is an important crop that is grown worldwide. Flowering time is a critical agricultural trait determining successful reproduction and yields. For plants, light and temperature are important environmental factors that regulate flowering time. Soybean is a typical short-day (SD) plant, and man...
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MDPI AG
2020-02-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/4/1322 |
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| author | Jing Lyu Zhandong Cai Yonghong Li Haicui Suo Rong Yi Shuai Zhang Hai Nian |
| author_facet | Jing Lyu Zhandong Cai Yonghong Li Haicui Suo Rong Yi Shuai Zhang Hai Nian |
| author_sort | Jing Lyu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Soybean is an important crop that is grown worldwide. Flowering time is a critical agricultural trait determining successful reproduction and yields. For plants, light and temperature are important environmental factors that regulate flowering time. Soybean is a typical short-day (SD) plant, and many studies have elucidated the fine-scale mechanisms of how soybean responds to photoperiod. Low temperature can delay the flowering time of soybean, but little is known about the detailed mechanism of how temperature affects soybean flowering. In this study, we isolated <i>GmFLC-like</i> from soybean, which belongs to the <i>FLOWERING LOCUS C</i> clade of the MADS-box family and is intensely expressed in soybean leaves. Heterologous expression of <i>GmFLC-like</i> results in a delayed-flowering phenotype in Arabidopsis. Additional experiments revealed that <i>GmFLC-like</i> is involved in long-term low temperature-triggered late flowering by inhibiting <i>FT</i> gene expression. In addition, yeast one-hybrid, dual-luciferase reporter assay, and electrophoretic mobility shift assay revealed that the GmFLC-like protein could directly repress the expression of <i>FT2a</i> by physically interacting with its promoter region. Taken together, our results revealed that GmFLC-like functions as a floral repressor involved in flowering time during treatments with various low temperature durations. As the only the <i>FLC</i> gene in soybean, <i>GmFLC-like</i> was meaningfully retained in the soybean genome over the course of evolution, and this gene may play an important role in delaying flowering time and providing protective mechanisms against sporadic and extremely low temperatures. |
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| spelling | doaj.art-b303325b689540a69225ecb5b2bbdefe2022-12-22T03:08:52ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1422-00672020-02-01214132210.3390/ijms21041322ijms21041322The Floral Repressor <i>GmFLC-like</i> Is Involved in Regulating Flowering Time Mediated by Low Temperature in SoybeanJing Lyu0Zhandong Cai1Yonghong Li2Haicui Suo3Rong Yi4Shuai Zhang5Hai Nian6State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, ChinaState Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, ChinaSchool of Applied Chemistry and Biological Technology, Postdoctoral Innovation Practice Base, Shenzhen Polytechnic, Shenzhen 518055, ChinaCrop Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agriculture, Guangzhou 510642, ChinaState Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, ChinaSchool of Applied Chemistry and Biological Technology, Postdoctoral Innovation Practice Base, Shenzhen Polytechnic, Shenzhen 518055, ChinaState Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, ChinaSoybean is an important crop that is grown worldwide. Flowering time is a critical agricultural trait determining successful reproduction and yields. For plants, light and temperature are important environmental factors that regulate flowering time. Soybean is a typical short-day (SD) plant, and many studies have elucidated the fine-scale mechanisms of how soybean responds to photoperiod. Low temperature can delay the flowering time of soybean, but little is known about the detailed mechanism of how temperature affects soybean flowering. In this study, we isolated <i>GmFLC-like</i> from soybean, which belongs to the <i>FLOWERING LOCUS C</i> clade of the MADS-box family and is intensely expressed in soybean leaves. Heterologous expression of <i>GmFLC-like</i> results in a delayed-flowering phenotype in Arabidopsis. Additional experiments revealed that <i>GmFLC-like</i> is involved in long-term low temperature-triggered late flowering by inhibiting <i>FT</i> gene expression. In addition, yeast one-hybrid, dual-luciferase reporter assay, and electrophoretic mobility shift assay revealed that the GmFLC-like protein could directly repress the expression of <i>FT2a</i> by physically interacting with its promoter region. Taken together, our results revealed that GmFLC-like functions as a floral repressor involved in flowering time during treatments with various low temperature durations. As the only the <i>FLC</i> gene in soybean, <i>GmFLC-like</i> was meaningfully retained in the soybean genome over the course of evolution, and this gene may play an important role in delaying flowering time and providing protective mechanisms against sporadic and extremely low temperatures.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/4/1322soybeanflowering timelow temperature<i>gmflc-like</i><i>gmft</i> |
| spellingShingle | Jing Lyu Zhandong Cai Yonghong Li Haicui Suo Rong Yi Shuai Zhang Hai Nian The Floral Repressor <i>GmFLC-like</i> Is Involved in Regulating Flowering Time Mediated by Low Temperature in Soybean International Journal of Molecular Sciences soybean flowering time low temperature <i>gmflc-like</i> <i>gmft</i> |
| title | The Floral Repressor <i>GmFLC-like</i> Is Involved in Regulating Flowering Time Mediated by Low Temperature in Soybean |
| title_full | The Floral Repressor <i>GmFLC-like</i> Is Involved in Regulating Flowering Time Mediated by Low Temperature in Soybean |
| title_fullStr | The Floral Repressor <i>GmFLC-like</i> Is Involved in Regulating Flowering Time Mediated by Low Temperature in Soybean |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Floral Repressor <i>GmFLC-like</i> Is Involved in Regulating Flowering Time Mediated by Low Temperature in Soybean |
| title_short | The Floral Repressor <i>GmFLC-like</i> Is Involved in Regulating Flowering Time Mediated by Low Temperature in Soybean |
| title_sort | floral repressor i gmflc like i is involved in regulating flowering time mediated by low temperature in soybean |
| topic | soybean flowering time low temperature <i>gmflc-like</i> <i>gmft</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/4/1322 |
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