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Expression of the alfalfa FRIGIDA-Like Gene, MsFRI-L delays flowering time in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana

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Abstract

In Arabidopsis, allelic variation at the FRIGIDA (FRI) locus is a major determinant of natural variation in flowering time. We have identified a FRIGIDA like protein gene, MsFRI-L, with unknown function from Medicago sativa L. Expression of MsFRI-L was increased in wild alfalfa under continuous cold conditions and the gene was expressed in all tissues including roots, stems, leaves and flowers, and weakest in flowers under light/dark conditions. Expression of MsFRI-L in transgenic Arabidopsis plants resulted in late flowering phenotypes under long day conditions or treated with vernalization. Subcellular analysis showed that MsFRI-L was localized in the nucleus. Transcript profiling of floral regulatory genes in MsFRI-L transgenic Arabidopsis showed enhanced expression of the flowering repressor FLOWERING LOCUS C and decreased expression of one key flowering time genes FLOWERING LOCUS T. These results suggest that MsFRI-L delays flowering time by regulating flowering genes expression under long day conditions.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Mr. Zhaofeng Huang from Institute of Plant Protection, CAAS for providing access to the ABI 7500 RT-qPCR apparatus. We thank the National Science and Technology Supporting Project of China (No. 2011BAD17B01-01-3). We also appreciate the constructive and helpful comments on the manuscript from the editor and the anonymous reviewers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, People’s Republic of China

    Yuehui Chao, Qingchuan Yang, Junmei Kang & Tiejun Zhang

  2. College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agriculture University, Beijing, 100193, People’s Republic of China

    Yan Sun

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  1. Yuehui Chao
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  2. Qingchuan Yang
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  3. Junmei Kang
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  4. Tiejun Zhang
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  5. Yan Sun
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Correspondence to Qingchuan Yang.

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Chao, Y., Yang, Q., Kang, J. et al. Expression of the alfalfa FRIGIDA-Like Gene, MsFRI-L delays flowering time in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana . Mol Biol Rep 40, 2083–2090 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-012-2266-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-012-2266-8

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