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Overexpression of TaMADS1, a SEPALLATA-like gene in wheat, causes early flowering and the abnormal development of floral organs in Arabidopsis

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Abstract

The MADS box genes are essential for floral development of Arabidopsis because they regulate flowering time and the development of floral organs. In this study, a MADS box gene, TaMADS1, was isolated and characterized from wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The analysis of amino acid sequences and phylogenetic tree suggested that the TaMADS1 gene might be a SEPALLATA (SEP)-like gene. RNA hybridization indicated that the TaMADS1 transcripts began to accumulate in spikelets, and then, in floret primordia and floral organ primordia in wheat. In the later stage of floret development, the TaMADS1 transcripts accumulated in four whorls of young floral organs. The ectopic expression of TaMADS1 in Arabidopsis caused early flowering and altered the development of all floral organs. Further studies demonstrated that the early flowering phenotype in transgenic plants could be correlated with the upregulation of some flowering time genes and flower meristem identity genes. Our results suggest that TaMADS1 could be a putative SEP-like gene, and has diverse roles in flower development.

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Abbreviations

CaMV:

Cauliflower mosaic virus

GUS:

Beta-glucuronidase

SEP :

SEPALLATA

RT-PCR:

Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction

SSC:

Standard saline citrate

SDS:

Sodium dodecyl sulfate

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Y. B. Xue (Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing) for his generous help with real-time quantitative PCR. This research was supported by the Project of Transgenic Plants, National Natural Science Foundation, the Major State Basic Research Program and the 863 Project of China.

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  1. Shandong Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, Shandong, 271018, China

    Xiang Yu Zhao, Zhi Juan Cheng & Xian Sheng Zhang

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  1. Xiang Yu Zhao
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  2. Zhi Juan Cheng
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Correspondence to Xian Sheng Zhang.

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Zhao, X.Y., Cheng, Z.J. & Zhang, X.S. Overexpression of TaMADS1, a SEPALLATA-like gene in wheat, causes early flowering and the abnormal development of floral organs in Arabidopsis. Planta 223, 698–707 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-005-0123-x

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