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Ectopic expression of soybean methionine synthase delays flowering time in transgenic tobacco plants

  • Original Papers
  • Published:
Biologia Plantarum

Abstract

A photoperiod-sensitive soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr] cv. ZhongDou 24 (ZD24) exhibiting delayed flowering when grown under long-days (LD, a 16-h photoperiod) was used to identify the genetic control of flowering delay. A differential expression profiling technique enabled identification of a gene fragment that was up-regulated under LD. This fragment was homologous to a gene encoding methionine synthase (MS) in soybean and was named GmMS. The RNA content confirmed that GmMS was expressed in roots, stems, and leaves of soybean grown under LD. The highest expression was in stems. Full length GmMS, encoding 763 amino acids, was transferred into tobacco plants. The ectopic expression of GmMS in tobacco resulted in delayed flowering. Other effects included stunting, an increased MS activity and methionine content, a higher content of alcohol-soluble proteins and of chlorophylls, and a lower content of anthocyanins.

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Abbreviations

AFLP:

amplified fragment length polymorphism

AP1:

APETALA1

CaMV:

cauliflower mosaic virus

CDS:

coding DNA sequence

CGS:

cystathionine γ-synthase

CO:

CONSTANS

CRY1a:

cryptochrome 1a

FT:

FLOWERING LOCUS T

GFP:

green-fluorescent protein

Gm:

Glycine max

Hd1:

HEADING DATE 1

LD:

long-day

MS:

methionine synthase

NP:

neutral photoperiod

PHYB1:

phytochrome B1

RAV:

related to ABI3/VP1 gene

RT- PCR:

reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction

SAMS:

S-adenosylmethionine synthase

SD:

short-day

TSF:

TWIN SISTER OF FT

VR:

vernalization requirement

ZD24:

ZhongDou 24

ZTL3:

ZEITLUPE 3

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hainan Key Laboratory for Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Bioresource and College of Agriculture, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, P.R China

    Z. L. Gao, H. Wu, D. Z. Lin, Q. L. Zhang & Y. H. Chen

  2. Oil Crops Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Wuhan, 430062, P.R China

    A. H. Sha

  3. College of Agriculture, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, 434023, P.R China

    A. H. Sha

Authors
  1. A. H. Sha
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  2. Z. L. Gao
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  3. H. Wu
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  4. D. Z. Lin
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  5. Q. L. Zhang
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  6. Y. H. Chen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Y. H. Chen.

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Acknowledgments: We thank VIB for providing vector pK7WG2D. We thank LetPub (www.letpub.com) for its linguistic assistance during the preparation of this manuscript. The study was supported by a grant from the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education (20094601120001), the Major Technology Project of Hainan (ZDZX2013023-2), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31060040, 31260345). The first three authors contributed equally to this work.

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Sha, A.H., Gao, Z.L., Wu, H. et al. Ectopic expression of soybean methionine synthase delays flowering time in transgenic tobacco plants. Biol Plant 59, 47–54 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-014-0461-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-014-0461-2

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