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Functional characterization of rice OsDof12

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Abstract

DNA-binding with one finger (Dof) proteins are a large family of transcription factors involved in a variety of biological processes in plants. In rice, 30 different Dof genes have been identified through genome analysis. Here we report the functional characteristics of a rice Dof gene, OsDof12, which encodes a predicted Dof protein. The nuclear localization of OsDof12 was investigated by the transient expression assays of the OsDof12–GFP fusion protein in onion epidermal cells. Trans-activation assays in a yeast one-hybrid system indicated that OsDof12 had transcriptional activity. RNA expression analyses showed that the expression of OsDof12 was not tissue-specific in general and fluctuated at different development stages in rice. In addition, OsDof12 was strongly inhibited by dark treatments. The transgenic lines overexpressing OsDof12 showed early flowering under long-day (LD) conditions, whereas OsDof12 overexpression had no effect on flowering time under short-day (SD) conditions. In transgenic lines overexpressing OsDof12, the transcription levels of Hd3a and OsMADS14 were up-regulated under LD conditions but not SD conditions, whereas the expression of Hd1, OsMADS51, Ehd1 and OsGI did not change under LD and SD conditions. These results suggested that OsDof12 might regulate flowering by controlling the expression of Hd3a and OsMADS14.

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Abbreviations

Dof:

DNA-binding with one finger

PCR:

Polymerase chain reaction

SDP:

Short-day plant

LDP:

Long-day plant

Hd1:

Heading date 1

CO:

CONSTANS

Hd3a:

Heading date 3a

FT:

Flowering locus T

GI:

GIGANTEA

RT-PCR:

Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction

GFP:

Green fluorescent protein

MADS:

MCM1, AGAMOUS, DEFICIENS and SRF

Se5:

Photoperiodic sensitivity 5

SD:

Short-day

LD:

Long-day

Ehd1:

Early heading date 1

ABA:

Abscisic acid

GUS:

Glucuronidase

QTL:

Quantitative Trait Loci

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by grants from National Science Foundation of China (90208001 and 30550005), Chinese Academy of Sciences (KSCX2-SW-306), and the Plant Gene Research Center (Beijing).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics and National Plant Gene Research Centre (Beijing), Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5 Datun Road, Chaoyang District, 100101, Beijing, China

    Dejun Li, Chunhua Yang, Xiaobing Li, Qiang Gan, Xianfeng Zhao & Lihuang Zhu

  2. Key Laboratory of Rubber Biology, Ministry of Agriculture, Rubber Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, 571737, Danzhou, Hainan, China

    Dejun Li

  3. Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China

    Chunhua Yang & Qiang Gan

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  1. Dejun Li
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  2. Chunhua Yang
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  3. Xiaobing Li
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Correspondence to Lihuang Zhu.

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Li, D., Yang, C., Li, X. et al. Functional characterization of rice OsDof12 . Planta 229, 1159–1169 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-009-0893-7

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