Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China.
Noble Research Institute, Ardmore, OK, 73401, USA.
J Plant Physiol. 2021 May;260:153412. doi: 10.1016/j.jplph.2021.153412. Epub 2021 Apr 3.
Flowering plants display a vast diversity of flowering time and inflorescence architecture, which plays an important role in determining seed yield and fruit production. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the flowering control and compound inflorescence development, especially in legumes, remain to be elucidated. Here, we reported the identification of MtFDa, an essential regulator of flowering in the model legume Medicago truncatula. Mutation of MtFDa, led to the late flowering, abnormal secondary inflorescences as well as severe floral organ defects. Biochemical and molecular analyses revealed that MtFDa physically interacts with M. truncaula FLOWERING LOCUS T homolog, MtFTa1, a key regulator of Medicago flowering time, and this interaction facilitates MtFDa's function in activating the expression of MtSOC1a. Moreover, we demonstrated that MtFDa may affect secondary inflorescence development via regulating MtFULc expression in M. truncatula. Our findings help elucidate the mechanism of MtFDa-mediated regulation of flowering time and inflorescence development and provide insights into understanding the genetic regulatory network underlying complex productive development in legumes.
开花植物表现出丰富多样的开花时间和花序结构，这对决定种子产量和果实生产起着重要作用。然而，控制开花和复合花序发育的分子机制，特别是在豆科植物中，仍有待阐明。在这里，我们报道了 MtFDa 的鉴定，它是模式豆科植物蒺藜苜蓿开花的必需调节剂。MtFDa 的突变导致开花晚、次级花序异常以及严重的花器官缺陷。生化和分子分析表明，MtFDa 与 M. truncaula FLOWERING LOCUS T 同源物 MtFTa1 物理相互作用，MtFTa1 是调控蒺藜苜蓿开花时间的关键调节剂，这种相互作用促进了 MtFDa 激活 MtSOC1a 表达的功能。此外，我们证明 MtFDa 可能通过调节 M. truncatula 中的 MtFULc 表达来影响次级花序的发育。我们的研究结果有助于阐明 MtFDa 介导的开花时间和花序发育调控的机制，并为理解豆科植物复杂生产发育的遗传调控网络提供了线索。
