Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, National Engineering Research Center of Tree Breeding and Ecological Restoration, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
Key Laboratory of State Forestry and Grassland Administration on Tropical Forestry Research, Research Institute of Tropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Guangzhou 510520, China.
Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Mar 14;23(6):3116. doi: 10.3390/ijms23063116.
Flowering is an important link in the life process of angiosperms, and it is also an important sign of the transformation of plants from vegetative to reproductive growth. Although the flowering regulation network of Arabidopsis is well-understood, there has been little research on the molecular mechanisms of perennial woody plant flower development regulation. is a unique Chinese poplar species with fast growth, strong ecological adaptability, and a long lifecycle. However, it has a long juvenile phase, which seriously affects its breeding process. Nuclear factor-Y (NF-Y) is an important type of transcription factor involved in the regulation of plant flowering. However, there are few reports on gene flowering regulation, and the members of the PtNF-YC subfamily are unknown. In this study, four key genes were cloned and analyzed for sequence characteristics, gene structure, genetic evolution, expression patterns, and subcellular localization. The plant expression vector was further constructed, and transgenic Arabidopsis and plants were obtained through genetic transformation and a series of molecular tests. The flowering time and other growth characteristics were analyzed. Finally, the expression level of flowering genes was detected by quantitative PCR, the interaction between PtoNF-YC and PtoCOL proteins was measured using the yeast two-hybrid system to further explain the flowering regulation mechanism, and the molecular mechanisms by which and regulate poplar flowering were discussed. These results lay the foundation for elucidating the molecular regulation mechanism of in flowering and furthering the molecular design and breeding of poplar, while providing a reference for other flowering woody plants.
开花是被子植物生活过程中的一个重要环节，也是植物从营养生长向生殖生长转变的重要标志。尽管拟南芥的开花调控网络已经研究得比较透彻，但关于多年生木本植物花发育调控的分子机制研究却很少。毛白杨是中国特有的杨树品种，具有生长迅速、生态适应性强、生命周期长等特点。然而，它具有很长的幼年期，这严重影响了它的繁殖过程。核因子-Y（NF-Y）是一种参与植物开花调控的重要转录因子。然而，关于 基因对开花的调控作用的报道较少，而且 PtNF-YC 亚家族的成员也不清楚。在本研究中，克隆并分析了四个关键基因的序列特征、基因结构、遗传进化、表达模式和亚细胞定位。进一步构建了植物表达载体，并通过遗传转化和一系列分子试验获得了转基因拟南芥和毛白杨植株。分析了开花时间和其他生长特征。最后，通过定量 PCR 检测开花基因的表达水平，利用酵母双杂交系统测量 PtoNF-YC 和 PtoCOL 蛋白之间的相互作用，进一步解释了开花调控机制，并探讨了 和 调控毛白杨开花的分子机制。这些结果为阐明 在开花过程中的分子调控机制奠定了基础，为毛白杨的分子设计和育种提供了参考，同时也为其他开花木本植物提供了参考。
