The Functional Analysis Of Maize ZmMADS35 Gene On Floral Organs Development

One fundamental feature of angiosperms or flowering plants is the flowers.There is enormous variation in flower size,composition and shape across the plant kingdom,which in turn influence the life circle and seed production of flowering plant.As an enormous family of transcription factors,MADS-box genes not only are involved in the regulation of plant growth and development,but also play important roles in the regulation of floral organ development.AG-Like genes in Arabidopsis play pivotal roles in ovule and seed development,while the function of its homologous gene ZmMADS35 is unveiled.To elucidate the function of ZmMADS35,we performed bioinformatic analysis of ZmMADS35 and then constructed a transgenetic Arabidopsis line in which ZmMADS35 was overexpressed.The main results are as follows:1.Through phylogenetic tree analysis of the ZmMADS35 gene of maize,the three AG-Like genes in Arabidopsis thaliana,and the protein sequences of homologous genes in other crops of Gramineae,it can be seen from the perspective of homologous gene evolution:all of the AG-Like genes in Gramineae are belong to the same evolutionary branch,and the ZmMADS35 protein has the highest homology with the SbAG3 protein in Sorghum bicolor.The Gramineae AG-Like proteins and the Arabidopsis AG-Like proteins are belong to two branches.From an evolutionary point of view,although all of them are AG-Like protein,the degree of evolution varies among different species during the evolution process.The same function may be performed between homologous genes,and disportionation of new functions or functions may occur.2.The RNA-seq expression data of the maize ZmMADS35 gene was analyzed.The results showed that the ZmMADS35 gene was weakly expressed in immature tassel and anther,and the expression levels of silk,ear and seed showed an upward trend.The expression of this gene in ear and tassel was different,especially in the ear and seed.The high expression in the medium indicates that the gene may be involved in the development of the ear and seed in the maize.3.The expression level of ZmMADS35 gene in wild type maize and treated by MeJA was detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR.According to the experimental results,the ZmMADS35 gene was expressed in both ear and tassel and seed of wild-type maize,but the expression amount was different.The expression level of the ear is eight times than the tassel.And the ear and tassel treated with MeJA,the expression level in the ear was almost unchanged,while in the tassel was about 3 times than before.4.In order to better understand the function of the maize AG-Like gene ZmMADS35,we use the Agrobacterium-mediated method to obtain transgenic Arabidopsis.The hygromycin-resistance transgenetic line was screened and pollinated,and then T2 plants were obtained,subsequently molecular detection was performed.The phenotype of ZmMADS35 OE exhibited abnormalities,including early flowering,ovule and silique defects.Our research provide clues for further exploration of the function of ZmMADS35 about whether it is involved in the regulation of ear and seed development in maize.