毛白杨PtFT1和PtFT2基因编码区克隆与表达模式分析

以毛白杨为材料,采用同源基因克隆法从毛白杨中分离了FT(FLOWERING LOCUS T)同源基因PtFT1和PtFT2编码区序列。测序结果表明PtFT1和PtFT2 编码区长度均为525bp,可编码174个氨基酸。蛋白序列比对发现这两个基因与拟南芥、葡萄等物种中FT同源基因所编码的氨基酸同源性达到75%以上, PtFT1 和 PtFT2 所推测的氨基酸序列包含FT类蛋白保守基序(LGRQTVYAPGWRQN)和两个关键性氨基酸残基Tyr84(Y),Gln139(Q)。系统进化分析进一步表明 PtFT1 和 PtFT2 属于FT亚家族成员。采用Real-time qRT-PCR技术检测 PtFT1 和 PtFT2 在各个组织部位中的表达模式,结果表明 PtFT1 和 PtFT2 在各个组织部位均有表达,但这两个基因的表达水平存在差异;两个基因在早期雌雄花芽(7月5日)表达量明显高于成熟雌雄花芽(翌年3月10日)表达量,进而推测在毛白杨中 PtFT1 和 PtFT2 的表达响应日照长短,长日照条件促进这两个基因的表达,它们可能在光周期调控的开花途径中促进花芽分化和开花发挥特定作用。这些研究对于阐明 PtFT1 和 PtFT2 在光周期开花调控途径中的作用机制具有重要意义,为进一步开展毛白杨开花调控基因工程研究奠定了工作基础。     

成花素FT的调控运输及生理功能的研究进展

开花作为植物从营养生长到生殖生长的转折点,受外界环境变化影响,对植物发育和繁殖有着至关重要的作用。成花素(flowering locus T FT)蛋白作为拟南芥开花信号核心分子,在开花调控中扮演重要角色。拟南芥叶片在感应外界温度光照等因素变化后,通过生理钟(constants,CO)等蛋白及部分Mico-RNA正负协调调控筛管伴胞中的FT基因表达,FT蛋白通过筛管从叶片运输到茎顶端分生组织后,与一个碱性亮氨酸拉链(basic leucine zipper,b ZIP)蛋白FD结合调控茎顶端分生组织(shoot apical meristem,SAM)中的花组织形成相关基因表达,继而诱导开花。对近年来FT基因在叶片中的调控、FT蛋白的运输及其在顶端分生组织中的开花诱导机理进行综述,为进一步完善FT表达调控及功能研究提供参考。     

砂梨CONSTANS基因的克隆及原核表达分析

为了探索梨树植物的开花调控机制,本研究以砂梨(Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai)叶片为材料,采用同源序列克隆法,进行了开花调控相关基因CONSTANS的克隆,命名为PyCO,GenBank登录号为KF246572。序列分析表明,该基因包含一个1023 bp的开放阅读框,编码340个氨基酸,推测蛋白质分子量为37.81 kD,等电点为5.95。PyCO蛋白具有典型的植物CO家族的结构特征,含有2个高度保守的B-box及CCT结构域。进化树分析表明,该氨基酸序列与苹果的同源性接近93%,与碧桃、可可树、草莓等其他高等植物的CO类蛋白同源性也在70%以上。原核表达获得了具有较高表达水平的融合蛋白,分子量约为58.5 kD,为进一步探索梨树开花调控机理奠定了基础。     

大豆向热带地区发展的遗传基础

大豆(Glycine max)是光周期敏感的植物,该特性是决定其生育期及其生态适应区的关键因素。温带的大豆品种引种到热带地区(短日照)时,开花期和成熟期提前、产量降低,限制了大豆在热带地区的种植。长童期(LJ)大豆品种的发现是解决该问题的重要突破。在短日照条件下,LJ品种比温带品种开花晚、体量大、成熟晚且产量提高。前期研究发现,J位点是控制LJ性状的关键位点。近期,我国科学家通过精细定位克隆了J基因,发现其与拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana)早花基因(ELF3)同源。他们通过功能互补和近等基因系等方法验证了J基因的功能,在短日照条件下,等位基因j比J开花晚、成熟晚且产量提高。进一步研究发现,J蛋白与E1基因(豆科植物开花抑制因子)的启动子结合抑制E1基因的表达,从而解除E1对大豆开花基因(FT)的抑制,促进大豆在短日照下开花。研究还发现在大豆种质资源中存在多种j等位变异。该研究引领了大豆生育期遗传研究的新方向,揭示了大豆向热带地区发展的遗传基础。     

毛白杨PtTFL1.1和PtTFL1.2基因的克隆和表达模式分析

以毛白杨为材料,利用同源基因克隆法设计引物,分别以毛白杨基因组DNA和RNA为模板,分离克隆了毛白杨中TFL1(TERMINAL FLOWER 1)基因两个成员,分别命名为PtTFL1.1和PtTFL1.2。序列分析发现,PtTFL1.1序列全长976 bp,编码区长度为525 bp,可编码 174个氨基酸;PtTFL1.2序列全长1 090 bp,编码区长度为522 bp,可编码173个氨基酸。二者都包含4个外显子和3个内含子,具有TFL1的典型保守的PEBP结构域,所推测的氨基酸序列具有TFL1特异关键的His88(H)和Asp141(D)氨基酸残基。同源蛋白比对结果显示,PtTFL1.1和PtTFL1.2与拟南芥、葡萄、柑橘、苹果等物种中的TFL1蛋白同源性都在80%以上。系统进化分析表明,PtTFL1.1和PtTFL1.2都属于FT/TFL1家族中的TFL1亚家族。荧光定量PCR实验表明,PtTFL1.1和PtTFL1.2的表达模式存在差异,PtTFL1.1在茎中的表达量要高于根和叶,在不同生长时期的花芽中,随着季节光照时间的递减,表达量呈现明显下降趋势,推测毛白杨中PtTFL1.1能通过响应日照长短,参与调控开花的光周期途径,PtTFL1.1可能是花的诱导初期主要的开花调控子;而PtTFL1.2在根茎叶以及各个时期的花芽中表达量都极低,且未检测到差异性变化。这些研究有助于探索TFL1在毛白杨花发育以及开花调控过程的重要作用,也将为后期深入研究毛白杨成花调控的分子机制奠定一定基础。     

光周期途径植物开花决定关键基因FT

随着分子生物学的快速发展,大量与光周期途径开花相关的基因已经被发现和克隆,刀(FLOWER-ING LOCUS T)是光周期途径植物开花时间决定关键基因,并认为刀基因表达产物可能就是人们长期追寻的开花刺激物质,这种开花刺激物质经过叶片到茎尖的长距离运输,最终引起茎顶端开花起始.目前已在多种植物中分离出FT同源基因,并通过转基因证明FT基因的表达可促进植物提早开花.本文对国内外关于FT基因家族的研究进展进行综述,旨在为进一步深入研究FT基因功能提供参考.     

文心兰FT同源基因的克隆及其表达分析

FT(Flowering Locus T)及其同源基因被认为是植物开花、花发育相关的重要基因。为了深入研究FT同源基因的功能以及文心兰开花的分子机理,该研究以文心兰品种‘金辉’为试验材料,基于转录组测序结果,克隆获得‘金辉’FT同源基因,命名为OnFT(GenBank登录号为MK967676)。OnFT基因编码区长度为537 bp,共编码178个氨基酸;生物信息学分析表明,该蛋白质分子量约为19.99 kD,可能是一种亲水性不稳定蛋白质,属于PEBP家族蛋白;基于FT的系统进化分析表明,文心兰与同科植物桃红蝴蝶兰的亲缘关系较近。qRT-PCR分析结果显示,OnFT在文心兰不同组织的表达差异较大,在花中表达量最高,在根中几乎不表达;OnFT基因在幼嫩花芽中的表达量较低,并且在花的成熟过程中逐渐增加;OnFT基因在叶片和假鳞茎中的表达量随成熟度的增长均呈先上升后降低的变化趋势,在中苗期的叶片和抽芽期的假鳞茎中表达量较高。     

黑果枸杞和宁夏枸杞FT(Flowering Locus T)基因的克隆及表达分析

黑果枸杞(Lycium ruthenicum Murr.)和宁夏枸杞(Lycium barbarum L.)系茄科枸杞属植物,具有非常重要的药用价值。本研究通过挖掘黑果枸杞和宁夏枸杞的转录组数据克隆获得其开花关键基因FT(Flowering Locus T),分别命名为Lr FT和Lb FT,通过生物信息学方法分析两个蛋白质的氨基酸序列、功能域及其系统发育关系等;并通过实时定量PCR分析其在两种枸杞不同组织中的表达模式。研究结果表明:Lr FT和Lb FT均编码一个由173个氨基酸组成的蛋白质。蛋白序列分析表明:Lr FT和Lb FT序列相似度达98%,具有保守的PEBP(phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein)结构域。系统进化分析表明:Lr FT和Lb FT与茄科植物番茄、烟草和马铃薯的FT亲缘关系较近。基因表达结果表明:Lr FT和Lb FT主要在叶片中表达,且在两种枸杞的叶片中表达量有一定的差异。本研究为今后黑果枸杞和宁夏枸杞开花相关功能基因的验证及分子育种奠定了一定的基础。     

ECT 6和ECT 7调控拟南芥开花时间的研究北大核心CSCD

m^(6)A修饰是mRNA上含量最丰富的一种修饰,调控mRNA的命运决定。YT521-B同源性(YTH)结构域蛋白是一类典型的m^(6)A“阅读器”,能识别并结合m^(6)A,完成基因的转录后调控。为了探究拟南芥YTH结构域蛋白ECT6和ECT7的功能及其分子机制,该研究对ect 6、ect 7和ect 6 ect 7双突变体进行基因型和半定量PCR鉴定及开花表型观察,通过细胞学观察分析ECT6和ECT7的亚细胞定位,并采用qRT-PCR检测开花关键基因的表达量。结果显示:(1)ECT 6基因组包含5个外显子和4个内含子,ect 6突变体分别插入在ECT 6基因的第3和第5外显子;ECT 7基因组包含6个外显子和5个内含子,ect 7突变体分别插入在ECT 7基因的第4和第6外显子。(2)突变体ect 6和ect 7均为完全敲除的功能缺失突变体,在长日照下二者均表现出开花提前和叶片数减少。(3)在长日照和短日照下ect6 ect7双突变体均表现出开花提前和叶片数减少。(4)开花抑制基因FLC和成花素基因FT是关键的开花调控因子,qRT-PCR分析结果显示,在ect 6 ect 7双突变体中,FLC的表达水平降低,FT的表达水平升高,且春化通路基因VIN 3、VRN 2、VRN 5和自主通路基因FVE的表达水平也显著升高。(5)ECT6和ECT7均定位于细胞核和细胞质中。     

光周期对光敏核不育水稻光敏色素A含量及其mRNA丰度的影响

光敏核不育水稻(农垦58S)是我国特有的水稻(Oryza sativa L.)种质材料,光敏色素是光周期诱导其育性转变的受体。报道了育性转换敏感期间的光周期处理对农垦58S及对照“农垦58”叶片中光敏色素A(Phy A)含量及其mRNA丰度的影响。在10个光周期处理的最后一个暗期结束前,收获每株水稻的上部两片叶,用酶联免疫吸附测定法测定Phy A。和长日照(LD)相比,短日照(SD)处理导致农垦58SPhy A相对含量增加38.5％;而“农垦58”只增加18.5％。显然,在较长的暗期中,农垦58S中Phy A的积累比对照快。在水稻幼苗中也得出相似的结果。以光敏色素A基因(phy A)的特异性片段RPA3作探针,用RNA斑点杂交的方法对叶片中Phy A mRNA丰度进行分析的结果表明,光周期处理5d和10d时,两品种水稻的Phy A mRNA丰度都是SD处理的比LD的高,而且SD下农垦58S Phy A mRNA的丰度均比“农垦58”的高。这些结果表明,甲基化水平较低的农垦58S phy A可能比“农垦58”的phy A更活跃地表达。另外,在育性转换敏感期每日主光期结束时(EOD)进行10次短暂的远红光(FR)照射。结果表明,农垦58S植株抽穗和开花期比SD处理推迟2d,而花粉败育率、种子结实率却无变化。暗示农垦58S开花和育性转变过程的光周期反应可能不同。     

Soybean adaption to high-latitude regions is associated with natural variations of GmFT2b,an ortholog of FLOWERING LOCUS T

Day length has an important influence on flowering and growth habit in many plant species. In crops such as soybean, photoperiod sensitivity determines the geographical range over which a given cultivar can grow and flower. The soybean genome contains ~10 genes homologous to FT, a central regulator of flowering from Arabidopsis thaliana. However, the precise roles of these soybean FTs are not clearly. Here we show that one such gene, GmFT2b, promotes flowering under long-days (LDs). Overexpression of GmFT2b upregulates expression of flowering-related genes which are important in regulating flowering time. We propose a ‘weight’ model for soybean flowering under short-day (SD) and LD conditions. Furthermore, we examine GmFT2b sequences in 195 soybean cultivars, as well as flowering phenotypes, geographical distributions and maturity groups. We found that Hap3, a major GmFT2b haplotype, is associated with significantly earlier flowering at higher latitudes. We anticipate our assay to provide important resources for the genetic improvement of soybean, including new germplasm for soybean breeding, and also increase our understanding of functional diversity in the soybean FT gene family.     

Natural variation and CRISPR/Cas9‐mediated mutation in GmPRR37 affect photoperiodic flowering and contribute to regional adaptation of soybean

Flowering time is a critical determinant of the geographic distribution and regional adaptability of soybean (Glycine max) and is strongly regulated by photoperiod and temperature. In this study, quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping and subsequent candidate gene analysis revealed that GmPRR37, encoding a pseudo‐response regulator protein, is responsible for the major QTL qFT12‐2, which was identified from a population of 308 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between a very late‐flowering soybean cultivar, ‘Zigongdongdou (ZGDD)’, and an extremely early‐flowering cultivar, ‘Heihe27 (HH27)’, in multiple environments. Comparative analysis of parental sequencing data confirmed that HH27 contains a non‐sense mutation that causes the loss of the CCT domain in the GmPRR37 protein. CRISPR/Cas9‐induced Gmprr37‐ZGDD mutants in soybean exhibited early flowering under natural long‐day (NLD) conditions. Overexpression of GmPRR37 significantly delayed the flowering of transgenic soybean plants compared with wild‐type under long photoperiod conditions. In addition, both the knockout and overexpression of GmPRR37 in soybean showed no significant phenotypic alterations in flowering time under short‐day (SD) conditions. Furthermore, GmPRR37 down‐regulated the expression of the flowering‐promoting FT homologues GmFT2a and GmFT5a, and up‐regulated flowering‐inhibiting FT homologue GmFT1a expression under long‐day (LD) conditions. We analysed haplotypes of GmPRR37 among 180 cultivars collected across China and found natural Gmprr37 mutants flower earlier and enable soybean to be cultivated at higher latitudes. This study demonstrates that GmPRR37 controls soybean photoperiodic flowering and provides opportunities to breed optimized cultivars with adaptation to specific regions and farming systems.     

Mutagenesis of GmFT2a and GmFT5a mediated by CRISPR/Cas9 contributes for expanding the regional adaptability of soybean

Flowering time is a key agronomic trait that directly influences the successful adaptation of soybean (Glycine max) to diverse latitudes and farming systems. GmFT2a and GmFT5a have been extensively identified as flowering activators and integrators in soybean. Here, we identified two quantitative trait loci (QTLs) regions harbouring GmFT2a and GmFT5a, respectively, associated with different genetic effects on flowering under different photoperiods. We analysed the flowering time of transgenic plants overexpressing GmFT2a or GmFT5a, ft2a mutants, ft5a mutants and ft2aft5a double mutants under long‐day (LD) and short‐day (SD) conditions. We confirmed that GmFT2a and GmFT5a are not redundant, they collectively regulate flowering time, and the effect of GmFT2a is more prominent than that of GmFT5a under SD conditions whereas GmFT5a has more significant effects than GmFT2a under LD conditions. GmFT5a, not GmFT2a, was essential for soybean to adapt to high latitude regions. The ft2aft5a double mutants showed late flowering by about 31.3 days under SD conditions and produced significantly increased numbers of pods and seeds per plant compared to the wild type. We speculate that these mutants may have enormous yield potential for the tropics. In addition, we examined the sequences of these two loci in 202 soybean accessions and investigated the flowering phenotypes, geographical distributions and maturity groups within major haplotypes. These results will contribute to soybean breeding and regional adaptability.     

西红花FT同源基因的表达及功能分析

FT（FLOWERING LOCUS T）及其同源基因作为三大开花途径整合子之一,被认为是调控植物开花的重要基因。为了深入研究FT同源基因的功能以及西红花（Crocus sativus L.）开花的分子机理,对已报道的3个西红花FT同源基因（CsatFT1、CsatFT2和CsatFT3）进行分离及分析。gDNA包含长度分别为835、1 642和1 132 bp的完整开放阅读框（ORF）,均具有4个外显子和3个内含子;cDNA包含长度分别为528、525和540 bp的ORF,分别编码175、174和179个氨基酸;系统进化分析表明,CsatFT1、CsatFT2、CsatFT3分别和同为单子叶植物的水仙（Narcissus chinensis）NtFT、麝香百合（Lilium longiflorum）LlFT和洋葱（Allium cepa）AcFT1表现出较近的遗传距离。qRT-PCR分析结果显示,小球茎膨大阶段前期,CsatFT1、CsatFT2、CsatFT3在叶片中表达水平最高,侧根中次之,子球茎、主根中极低几乎检测不到;小球茎膨大阶段后期,CsatFT1、CsatFT2、CsatFT3都在子球茎中表达水平较高,在顶芽中几乎检测不到;室内储藏开花阶段,CsatFT1、CsatFT2、CsatFT3在柱头中表达水平最高,叶中次之,花瓣和花药中较低几乎检测不到。通过观测转基因烟草（Nicotiana tabacum）和转基因拟南芥（Arabidopsis thaliana）植株表型发现,CsatFT1,CsatFT2和CsatFT3均具有促进植物提早开花的功能。     

A map-based cloning strategy employing a residual heterozygous line reveals that the GIGANTEA gene is involved in soybean maturity and flowering

Flowering is indicative of the transition from vegetative to reproductive phase, a critical event in the life cycle of plants. In soybean (Glycine max), a flowering quantitative trait locus, FT2, corresponding to the maturity locus E2, was detected in recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from the varieties "Misuzudaizu" (ft2/ft2; JP28856) and "Moshidou Gong 503" (FT2/FT2; JP27603). A map-based cloning strategy using the progeny of a residual heterozygous line (RHL) from the RIL was employed to isolate the gene responsible for this quantitative trait locus. A GIGANTEA ortholog, GmGIa (Glyma10g36600), was identified as a candidate gene. A common premature stop codon at the 10th exon was present in the Misuzudaizu allele and in other near isogenic lines (NILs) originating from Harosoy (e2/e2; PI548573). Furthermore, a mutant line harboring another premature stop codon showed an earlier flowering phenotype than the original variety, Bay (E2/E2; PI553043). The e2/e2 genotype exhibited elevated expression of GmFT2a, one of the florigen genes that leads to early flowering. The effects of the E2 allele on flowering time were similar among NILs and constant under high (43°N) and middle (36°N) latitudinal regions in Japan. These results indicate that GmGIa is the gene responsible for the E2 locus and that a null mutation in GmGIa may contribute to the geographic adaptation of soybean.     

Natural variation in GmGBP1 promoter affects photoperiod control of flowering time and maturity in soybean

The present study screened for polymorphisms in coding and non‐coding regions of the GmGBP1 gene in 278 soybean accessions with variable maturity and growth habit characteristics under natural field conditions in three different latitudes in China. The results showed that the promoter region was highly diversified compared with the coding sequence of GmGBP1. Five polymorphisms and four haplotypes were closely related to soybean flowering time and maturity through association and linkage disequilibrium analyses. Varieties with the polymorphisms SNP_‐796G, SNP_‐770G, SNP_‐307T, InDel_‐242normal, SNP_353A, or haplotypes Hap‐3 and Hap‐4 showed earlier flowering time and maturity in different environments. The shorter growth period might be largely due to higher GmGBP1 expression levels in soybean that were caused by the TCT‐motif with SNP_‐796G in the promoter. In contrast, the lower expression level of GmGBP1 in soybean caused by RNAi interference of GmGBP1 resulted in a longer growth period under different day lengths. Furthermore, the gene interference of GmGBP1 also caused a reduction in photoperiod response sensitivity (PRS) before flowering in soybean. RNA‐seq analysis on GmGBP1 underexpression in soybean showed that 94 and 30 predicted genes were significantly upregulated and downregulated, respectively. Of these, the diurnal photoperiod‐specific expression pattern of three significant flowering time genes GmFT2a, GmFT5a, and GmFULc also showed constantly lower mRNA levels in GmGBP1‐i soybean than in wild type, especially under short day conditions. Together, the results showed that GmGBP1 functioned as a positive regulator upstream of GmFT2a and GmFT5a to activate the expression of GmFULc to promote flowering on short days.