Kumimoto Roderick W, Zhang Yan, Siefers Nicholas, Holt Ben F
Department of Botany and Microbiology, University of Oklahoma, 770 Van Vleet Oval, Norman, OK 73019, USA.
Plant J. 2010 Aug;63(3):379-91. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-313X.2010.04247.x. Epub 2010 May 6.
NF-Y transcription factors represent a complex of three proteins called NF-YA, NF-YB and NF-YC. Each protein is highly conserved in eukaryotes, and in the plant lineage has undergone numerous rounds of duplication. Individual NF-Y are emerging as important regulators of several essential plant processes, including embryogenesis, drought resistance, maintenance of meristems in nitrogen-fixing nodules and photoperiod-dependent flowering time. Building on the recent finding that NF-YB2 and NF-YB3 have overlapping functionality in Arabidopsis photoperiod-dependent flowering (Kumimoto et al., 2008), we have identified three NF-YC (NF-YC3, NF-YC4, and NF-YC9) that are also required for flowering, and physically interact in vivo with both NF-YB2 and NF-YB3. Furthermore, NF-YC3, NF-YC4 and NF-YC9 can physically interact with full-length CONSTANS (CO), and are genetically required for CO-mediated floral promotion. Collectively, the present data greatly strengthens and extends the argument that CO utilizes NF-Y transcription factor complexes for the activation of FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) during photoperiod-dependent floral initiation.
核因子Y（NF-Y）转录因子是由三种蛋白质组成的复合体，分别称为NF-YA、NF-YB和NF-YC。每种蛋白质在真核生物中高度保守，在植物谱系中经历了多轮复制。单个NF-Y正成为几种重要植物过程的重要调节因子，包括胚胎发生、抗旱性、固氮根瘤中分生组织的维持以及光周期依赖性开花时间。基于最近发现NF-YB2和NF-YB3在拟南芥光周期依赖性开花中具有重叠功能（Kumimoto等人，2008年），我们鉴定出三种开花所需的NF-YC（NF-YC3、NF-YC4和NF-YC9），它们在体内与NF-YB2和NF-YB3都发生物理相互作用。此外，NF-YC3、NF-YC4和NF-YC9能与全长CONSTANS（CO）发生物理相互作用，并且在遗传上是CO介导的促进开花所必需的。总体而言，目前的数据极大地加强和扩展了这样的观点，即在光周期依赖性开花起始过程中，CO利用NF-Y转录因子复合体来激活开花位点T（FT）。
