The Maize ZmBES1/BZR1-9 Transcription Factor Accelerates Flowering in Transgenic <i>Arabidopsis</i> and Rice
Yuan Liu,
Hongwanjun Zhang,
Wenqi Feng,
Xiaolong Lin,
Aijun Gao,
Yang Cao,
Qingqing Yang,
Yingge Wang,
Wanchen Li,
Fengling Fu,
Haoqiang Yu
Affiliations
Yuan Liu
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region; Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Hongwanjun Zhang
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region; Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Wenqi Feng
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region; Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Xiaolong Lin
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region; Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Aijun Gao
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region; Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Yang Cao
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region; Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Qingqing Yang
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region; Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Yingge Wang
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region; Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Wanchen Li
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region; Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Fengling Fu
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region; Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Haoqiang Yu
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest Region; Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
In model plants, the BRI1-EMS suppressor 1 (BES1)/brassinazole-resistant 1 (BZR1) transcription factors play vital roles in regulating growth, development, and stimuli response. However, the roles of maize ZmBES1/BZR1 members are largely unknown. In this research, the ZmBES1/BZR1-9 gene was ectopically expressed in Arabidopsis and rice for the phenotyping of flowering. We found that the complementation and overexpression of ZmBES1/BZR1-9 in bes1-D mutant and wild type Arabidopsis both resulted in early flowering that was about 10 days shorter than in the untransformed control under long-day conditions. In addition, there was no difference in the rosette leaf number between all transgenic lines and the control. Subsequently, the ZmBES1/BZR1-9 gene was overexpressed in rice. It was found that overexpression lines of rice exhibited early flowering with heading dates that were 8 days shorter compared with untransformed plants. Moreover, the results of RNA-seq and qRT-PCR showed that five flowering-regulated genes, namely At2-MMP, AtPCC1, AtMYB56, AtPELPK1, and AtPRP10, were significantly up-regulated in all complementary and overexpressing lines of Arabidopsis. Meanwhile, the results of RNA-seq showed that 69 and 33 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were up- and down-regulated in transgenic rice, respectively. Four flowering-related genes, namely OsGA20OX1, OsCCR19, OsBTBN19, and OsRNS4 were significantly up-regulated in transgenic lines. To sum up, our findings demonstrate that ZmBES1/BZR1-9 is involved in controlling flowering and provide insights into further underlying roles of BES1/BZR1s in regulating growth and development in crops.
