EXPRESSION LEVEL OF FLOWERING TIME GENES (<i>CONZ1</i>, <i>GIGZ1A</i>, <i>GIGZ1B</i>, <i>FKF1A</i>, <i>FKF1B</i>) IN SEEDLINGS UNDER LONG DAY CONDITIONS DIFFERENTIATES EARLY AND LATE <i>ZEA MAYS</i> L.

Abstract

Twenty inbred lines of maize Zea mays L. were characterized by the duration of phenophases, including the timing of flowering and ripeness. The expression of key genes for initiation of flowering, CONZ1, GIGZ1a, GIGZ1b, ZmFKF1a, and ZmFKF1b, was studied in seedlings of six maize lines with different ripeness periods under long photoperiod conditions. A significantly lower level of transcripts of all five genes was found in early ripening lines in comparison with late ripening accessions. A similar expression of the paralogous GIGZ1a and GIGZ1b genes was shown, as well as a significant predominance of ZmFKF1a expression in comparison with its paralogous gene ZmFKF1b.