Utilizing MIKC-type MADS-box protein SOC1 for yield potential enhancement in maize

Guo-Qing Song,Kan Wang,Addie Thompson,Xue Han,John T Ryner

doi:10.1007/s00299-021-02722-4

Guo-Qing Song, Kan Wang + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-021-02722-4

Copy DOI

Abstract

Key messageOverexpression of Zea mays SOC gene promotes flowering, reduces plant height, and leads to no reduction in grain production per plant, suggesting enhanced yield potential, at least, through increasing planting density.MIKC-type MADS-box gene SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS 1 (SOC1) is an integrator conserved in the plant flowering pathway. In this study, the maize SOC1 (ZmSOC1) gene was cloned and overexpressed in transgenic maize Hi-II genotype. The T0 plants were backcrossed with nontransgenic inbred B73 to produce first generation backcross (BC1) seeds. Phenotyping of both transgenic and null segregant (NT) BC1 plants was conducted in three independent experiments. The BC1 transgenic plants showed new attributes such as increased vegetative growth, accelerated flowering time, reduced overall plant height, and increased grain weight. Second generation backcross (BC2) plants were evaluated in the field using two planting densities. Compared to BC2 NT plants, BC2 transgenic plants, were 12–18% shorter, flowered 5 days earlier, and showed no reduction in grain production per plant and an increase in fat, starch, and simple sugars in the grain. Transcriptome comparison in young leaves of 56-day-old BC1 plants revealed that the overexpressed ZmSOC1 resulted in 107 differentially expressed genes. The upregulated transcription factor DNA BINDING WITH ONE FINGER 5.4 (DOF5.4) was among the genes responsible for the reduced plant height. Modulating expression of SOC1 opens a new and effective approach to promote flowering and reduce plant height, which may have potential to enhance crop yield and improve grain quality.

Highlights

Increasing crop production is key to feeding the future (Ash et al 2010)
We provide RNA-seq data derived from young leaves of six transgenic and three nontransgenic B C1 lines to reveal the overall impact of ZmSOC1 overexpression on expression of other associated genes
Sanger sequencing data confirmed that a 696bp ZmSOC1 derived from the cDNA of the maize inbred line B104 was successfully inserted into the binary vector pTF101.1-ZmSOC1

Summary

Introduction

Increasing crop production is key to feeding the future (Ash et al 2010). Breeding efforts in both public and private sectors in agriculture have been made to increase yield through genetic manipulation of various traits such as biotic or abiotic stress resistance (Nelson et al 2007; Tester and Communicated by Leandro Peña.Langridge 2010). Increasing crop production is key to feeding the future (Ash et al 2010). Breeding efforts in both public and private sectors in agriculture have been made to increase yield through genetic manipulation of various traits such as biotic or abiotic stress resistance 2008; Teo et al 2019; Yu et al 2014; Zhang and Forde 1998) Manipulation of these MADS-box genes provides an alternative approach to modulating plant reproductive growth, with the potential to influence crop yield (Castelan-Munoz et al 2019; Hill and Li 2016; Trevaskis 2018)

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion