The pma-miR172 -PmAP2L3 module participates in the floral development of Masson pine (Pinus massoniana)

Abstract

Masson pine (Pinus massoniana) is a core industrial tree species that is used for afforestation in southern China. Previous studies have shown that miR172 regulates plant growth and development, and the mechanism by which pma-miR172 affects flower development was explored in our study. In this research, we cloned and identified P. massoniana miR172 and its target gene PmAP2L3. The results showed that the 225 bp miR172 precursor was obtained, and the phylogenetic tree constructed based on the miR172 precursor sequence showed that P. massoniana miR172 has high homology with miR172 from Picea sitchensis and Picea glauca in gymnosperms. The target gene PmAP2L3 encodes a protein of 637 amino acids, and subcellular analysis revealed that the PmAP2L3 protein localised predominantly in the cytoplasm of P. massoniana.Compared with wild-type (WT) Arabidopsis, the miR172-overexpressing transgenic line blossomed more, while the 35 S::PmAP2L3 and 35 S::rAP2L3 transgenic lines were shorter. These results suggest that miR172 may promote flower development by inhibiting the target gene PmAP2L3.