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Background: Proper flowering time is important for the growth and development of plants, and both too early and too late flowering impose strong negative influences on plant adaptation and seed yield. Thus, it is vitally important to study the mechanism underlying flowering time control in plants. In a previous study by the authors, genome-wide association analysis was used to screen the candidate gene SISTER OF FCA (SSF) that regulates FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC), a central gene encoding a flowering suppressor in Arabidopsis thaliana. Results: SSF physically interacts with Protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5, SKB1). Subcellular co—localization analysis showed that SSF and SKB1 interact in the nucleus. Genetically, SSF and SKB1 exist in the same regulatory pathway that controls FLC expression. Furthermore, RNA-sequencing analysis showed that both SSF and SKB1 regulate certain common pathways. Conclusions: This study shows that PRMT5 interacts with SSF, thus controlling FLC expression and facilitating flowering time control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Flowering time is an important agronomic trait of crops and significantly affects plant adaptation and seed production. Flowering time varies greatly among maize (Zea mays) inbred lines, but the genetic basis of this variation is not well understood. Here, we report the comprehensive genetic architecture of six flowering time-related traits using a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population obtained from a cross between two maize genotypes, B73 and Abe2, and combined with genome-wide association studies to identify candidate genes that affect flowering time. Results: Our results indicate that these six traits showed extensive phenotypic variation and high heritability in the RIL population. The flowering time of this RIL population showed little correlation with the leaf number under different environmental conditions. A genetic linkage map was constructed by 10,114 polymorphic markers covering the whole maize genome, which was applied to QTL mapping for these traits, and identified a total of 82 QTLs that contain 13 flowering genes. Furthermore, a combined genome-wide association study and linkage mapping analysis revealed 17 new candidate genes associated with flowering time. Conclusions: In the present study, by using genetic mapping and GWAS approaches with the RIL population, we revealed a list of genomic regions and candidate genes that were significantly associated with flowering time. This work provides an important resource for the breeding of flowering time traits in maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Flowering time is an important agronomic trait of crops and significantly affects plant adaptation and seed production. Flowering time varies greatly among maize (Zea mays) inbred lines, but the genetic basis of this variation is not well understood. Here, we report the comprehensive genetic architecture of six flowering time-related traits using a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population obtained from a cross between two maize genotypes, B73 and Abe2, and combined with genome-wide association studies to identify candidate genes that affect flowering time. Results: Our results indicate that these six traits showed extensive phenotypic variation and high heritability in the RIL population. The flowering time of this RIL population showed little correlation with the leaf number under different environmental conditions. A genetic linkage map was constructed by 10,114 polymorphic markers covering the whole maize genome, which was applied to QTL mapping for these traits, and identified a total of 82 QTLs that contain 13 flowering genes. Furthermore, a combined genome-wide association study and linkage mapping analysis revealed 17 new candidate genes associated with flowering time. Conclusions: In the present study, by using genetic mapping and GWAS approaches with the RIL population, we revealed a list of genomic regions and candidate genes that were significantly associated with flowering time. This work provides an important resource for the breeding of flowering time traits in maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]