Analysis of promoter activity reveals that GmFTL2 expression differs from that of the known Flowering Locus T genes in soybean
Limin Liu,
Xiaomei Zhang,
Fulu Chen,
Asia Adam Elzamzami Mahi,
Xiaoxia Wu,
Qingshan Chen,
Yong-Fu Fu
Affiliations
Limin Liu
College of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Xiaomei Zhang
MOA Key Lab of Soybean Biology (Beijing), National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Fulu Chen
MOA Key Lab of Soybean Biology (Beijing), National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Asia Adam Elzamzami Mahi
College of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Xiaoxia Wu
College of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Qingshan Chen
College of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Yong-Fu Fu
MOA Key Lab of Soybean Biology (Beijing), National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Regulation of flowering is one of the key issues in crop yield. The Flowering Locus T (FT) gene is a well-known florigen, which integrates various signals from multiple flowering-regulation pathways to initiate flowering. We previously reported that there are at least six FT genes (GmFTL1–6) in soybean displaying flowering activity. However, the individual functions of genes GmFTL1–6 remain to be identified. In this study, we cloned the GmFTL2 promoter (GmFTLpro) from soybean (Glycine max) cultivar Tianlong 1 and analyzed its motifs bioinformatically and its expression patterns using both a transgenic approach and quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). In GmFTLpro::GUS transgenic lines, GUS signals were enriched in cotyledons, hypocotyledons, pollen, embryos, and root tips in a photoperiod-independent manner. qRT-PCR confirmed the GUS reporter results. Our results suggest that GmFTL2 expression is regulated by developmental and tissue-specific clues and plays roles in seedling establishment and the development of microgametophytes, embryos, and roots.
