Abstract
The MADS-box protein family includes many transcription factors that have a conserved DNA-binding MADS-box domain. The proteins in this family were originally recognized to play prominent roles in floral development. Recent findings, especially with regard to the regulatory roles of the AGL17 subfamily in root development, have greatly broadened their known functions. In this study, a gene from soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.), GmNMHC5, was cloned from the Zigongdongdou cultivar and identified as a member of the AGL17 subfamily. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR analysis showed that GmNMHC5 was expressed at much higher levels in roots and nodules than in other organs. The activation of expression was first examined in leaves and roots, followed by shoot apexes. GmNMHC5 expression levels rose sharply when the plants were treated under short-day conditions (SD) and started to pod, whereas low levels were maintained in non-podding plants under long-day conditions (LD). Furthermore, overexpression of GmNMHC5 in transgenic soybean significantly promoted lateral root development and nodule building. Moreover, GmNMHC5 is upregulated by exogenous sucrose. These results indicate that GmNMHC5 can sense the sucrose signal and plays significant roles in lateral root development and nodule building.
Highlights
Soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) is one of the most important oil and high-protein food/forage crops in the world
The full-length coding sequence (CDS) (726-bp) of the target protein in soybean cultivar Zigongdongdou was obtained by RT-PCR using RNA extracted from nodules
GmNMHC5 possesses the typical structural features of a MADS-box protein [17], including a strongly conserved MEF2-like MADS domain and the conserved K-domain, which has been shown to be important for protein-protein interactions [25]
Summary
Soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) is one of the most important oil and high-protein food/forage crops in the world. A prominent feature of soybean growth is that the staggered time of vegetative growth and reproductive development is much longer than many other crops, such as grains. The overlapped time in cultivar Zigongdongdou accounts for approximately 40% or even longer of the entire growth period [1]. There exists fierce competition in the material and energy demands between the reproductive organs and vegetative organs, with that between flowering and nodulation being the most representative [1]. The elucidation of the bifunctional regulation in both flowering and nodulation (or root development) is valuable for understanding the cooperative associations of the two processes in soybean
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