RNA-Seq Analysis of Gene Expression Changes Related to Delay of Flowering Time under Drought Stress in Tropical Maize

Kyung-Hee Kim,Kitae Song,Byung-Moo Lee,Jeong-Min Park,Jae-Yoon Kim

doi:10.3390/app11094273

Kyung-Hee Kim, Kitae Song + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/app11094273

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Journal: Applied Sciences	Publication Date: May 8, 2021
Citations: 6	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Dongguk University, Kongju National University

Abstract

Few studies have reported on the flowering time mechanism of tropical maize under short-day conditions. Drought, another important factor that affects flowering time, has been reported to delay the silking date in tropical maize. However, due to the lack of genetic information related to flowering in maize, the mechanism by which drought delays flowering is unclear. To further understand this process, we analyzed drought-responsive genes using RNA sequencing and identified genes related to flowering time, including contigs from de novo assembly. The results revealed changes in the expression of flowering-time genes, including INDETERMINATE1 (ID1), Heading date 3a (Hd3a), CONSTANS-like genes, and ZEA MAYS CENTRORADIALES8 (ZCN8), which are known to be crucial factors in flowering. In particular, Hd3a, CONZ1, and ZCN8, which have been reported to accelerate flowering under short-day conditions, were downregulated by drought stress. Changes in gene expression appear to play an important role in changes in flowering time under drought. These expression profiles will help to further understand the flowering-time genes of tropical maize and the delayed flowering time resulting from drought.

Highlights

Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most important crops worldwide, with extensive applications in food, feed, and biofuel [1]
anthesis–silking interval (ASI) is a key trait that is significantly affected by drought stress
We found that the ASI was increased by a delay in silking in Ki11 (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most important crops worldwide, with extensive applications in food, feed, and biofuel [1]. Unlike crops such as rice or wheat, maize is an allogamous plant, which involves a more complex genome and a diverse combination of traits that help the species to adapt to various environments. For maize, pollen shedding and silk emergence must occur at approximately the same time in order to increase the probability of pollination and harvesting [2,3]. Due to the relationship between flowering synchrony and drought, the ASI is considered to be a secondary trait associated with stress tolerance and the harvest index under drought [5,6,7,8]

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