Characterization of MADS-Box Gene Family in and Functional Study of in Regulating Floral Transition and Formation.

In flowering plants, MADS-box genes play regulatory roles in flower induction, floral initiation, and floral morphogenesis. (. ) is a traditional Chinese medicinal plant. However, available information concerning MADS-box genes in . is insufficient. Based on the sequencing data of the . transcriptome, we identified MADS-box gene-encoding transcription factors that have been shown to play critical roles in developmental processes. In this study, 102 . MADS-box genes were identified and categorized into type I (Mα, Mβ, and Mγ) and type II (MIKC and MIKC*) subfamilies. IiMADS proteins in the same cluster had similar motifs and gene structures. In total, 102 IiMADS-box genes were unevenly distributed across seven chromosomes. () encodes a MADS-box transcription factor which plays a pivotal role in determining floral meristem identity and also modulates developmental processes within the perianth. We then selected for functional studies and found that it is localized to the nucleus and highly expressed in inflorescence, sepals, and petals. The ectopic expression of in Arabidopsis resulted in early flowering and abnormal development of floral organs. Taken together, this research study carried out a systematic identification of MADS-box genes in . and demonstrated that takes part in the regulation of floral transition and formation.