1. A novel MORN-motif type gene GmMRF2 controls flowering time and plant height of soybean.
- Author
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Zhang, Jialing, Chen, Li, Cai, Yupeng, Su, Qiang, Chen, Yingying, Li, Min, and Hou, Wensheng
- Subjects
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FLOWERING of plants , *ANGIOSPERMS , *FLOWERING time , *SOYBEAN , *GENE expression , *PLANT genes - Abstract
The flowering time of soybean is a highly important agronomic characteristic, which affects the adaptability and yield. AtMRF1 , a MORN-repeat motif gene, acts as a floral promoter in Arabidopsis , its functions in soybean are not yet understood. Here, we employed qRT-PCR to analyze the tissue expression patten of MRF1 homologs in soybean and determined that the GmMRF2 gene, containing a MORN-motif, highly expressed in the shoot and responded to photoperiod. GmMRF2 overexpression soybean lines exhibited earlier flowering time under long-day (LD) conditions, and increased plant height under both LD and short-day (SD) conditions compared to wild-type (WT) plants. The expression levels of gibberellic acid (GA) pathway genes that positively regulate plant height genes and flowering-promoting genes were up-regulated in the GmMRF2 overexpression lines, were up-regulated in the GmMRF2 overexpression lines. Further study revealed that Gm MRF2 interacted with GmTCP15 to co-induce the expression of GmSOC1b. Together, our results preliminarily reveal the functions and mechanisms of GmMRF2 in regulating flowering time and plant height, provide a new promising gene for soybean crop improvement. • GmMRF2 overexpression promoted flowering and increased plant height in soybean. • The expression level of GA pathway and flowering related genes was alerted in the GmMRF2 overexpression lines. • GmMRF2 interacted with GmTCP15 to co-induce the expression of GmSOC1b to accelerate soybean flowering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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