Comprehensive Analysis of Five -like Genes and Their Potential Functions in Flower Development.

Bamboo is one of the most important non-timber forest resources worldwide. It has considerable economic value and unique flowering characteristics. The long juvenile phase in bamboo and unpredictable flowering time limit breeding and genetic improvement and seriously affect the productivity and application of bamboo forests. Members of -like subfamily genes play an essential role in controlling flowering time and floral organ identity. A comprehensive study was conducted to explain the functions of five -like subfamily genes in Expression analysis revealed that all have higher transcript levels in the reproductive period than in the juvenile phase. However, showed divergent expression patterns during inflorescence development. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) patterns among PeSQUAs and other MADS-box members were analyzed by yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) experiments. Consistent with amino acid sequence similarity and phylogenetic analysis, the PPI patterns clustered into two groups. PeMADS2, 13, and 41 interacted with multiple PeMADS proteins, whereas PeMADS3 and 28 hardly interacted with other proteins. Based on our results, PeSQUA might possess different functions by forming protein complexes with other MADS-box proteins at different flowering stages. Furthermore, we chose for functional analysis. Ectopic expression of in and rice caused early flowering, and abnormal phenotype was observed in transgenic lines. RNA-seq analysis indicated that integrated multiple pathways regulating floral transition to trigger early flowering time in rice. This function might be due to the interaction between PeMADS2 and homologous in rice. Therefore, we concluded that the five -like genes showed functional conservation and divergence based on sequence differences and were involved in floral transitions by forming protein complexes in . The MADS-box protein complex model obtained in the current study will provide crucial insights into the molecular mechanisms of bamboo's unique flowering characteristics.