title: Map-based cloning of the gene associated with the soybean maturity locus E3.
abstract: Photosensitivity plays an essential role in the response of plants to their changing environments throughout their life cycle. In soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill], several associations between photosensitivity and maturity loci are known, but only limited information at the molecular level is available. The FT3 locus is one of the quantitative trait loci (QTL) for flowering time that corresponds to the maturity locus E3. To identify the gene responsible for this QTL, a map-based cloning strategy was undertaken. One phytochrome A gene (GmPhyA3) was considered a strong candidate for the FT3 locus. Allelism tests and gene sequence comparisons showed that alleles of Misuzudaizu (FT3/FT3; JP28856) and Harosoy (E3/E3; PI548573) were identical. The GmPhyA3 alleles of Moshidou Gong 503 (ft3/ft3; JP27603) and L62-667 (e3/e3; PI547716) showed weak or complete loss of function, respectively. High red/far-red (R/FR) long-day conditions enhanced the effects of the E3/FT3 alleles in various genetic backgrounds. Moreover, a mutant line harboring the nonfunctional GmPhyA3 flowered earlier than the original Bay (E3/E3; PI553043) under similar conditions. These results suggest that the variation in phytochrome A may contribute to the complex systems of soybean flowering response and geographic adaptation.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8602, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Rumiko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hideshima
authors.forename: Zhengjun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Yasutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsubokura
authors.forename: Shusei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Yumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakamoto
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yamanaka
authors.forename: Ryoji
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Masao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ishimoto
authors.forename: Toyoaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Anai
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tabata
authors.forename: Kyuya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Harada
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular / Q000379:methods*; D035264:Flowers / Q000235:genetics; D017343:Genes, Plant / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D051942:Phytochrome A / Q000235:genetics*; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci; D013025:Glycine max / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D051942:Phytochrome A