title: Expression of the alfalfa CCCH-type zinc finger protein gene MsZFN delays flowering time in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana.
abstract: Zinc finger proteins comprise a large family and function in various developmental processes. CCCH type zinc finger protein is one kind of zinc finger protein, which function is little known. MsZFN gene encoding a CCCH type zinc finger protein was first discovered by its elevated transcript level in a salt-induced alfalfa SSH cDNA library. The previous experiment had showed that MsZFN protein was localized to the nucleus and little is known about the function of MsZFN protein and its homologous proteins in other plants including model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana. In the current study, we found that MsZFN transcript levels increased in alfalfa under continuous dark conditions and that expression was strongest in leaves and weakest in unopened flowers under light/dark conditions. Expression of MsZFN in transgenic Arabidopsis plants resulted in late flowering phenotypes under long day conditions. Yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays indicated that MsZFN protein can interact with itself. Transcript analyses of floral regulatory genes in MsZFN(+) transgenic Arabidopsis showed enhanced expression of the flowering repressor FLOWERING LOCUS C and decreased expression of three key flowering time genes, FLOWERING LOCUS T, SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS and GIGANTEA. These results suggest that MsZFN primarily controls flowering time by repressing flowering genes expression under long day conditions.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yuehui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Tiejun
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: qchyang66@163.com.
authors.forename: Qingchuan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Junmei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agriculture University, Beijing 100193, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Saskatoon Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 107 Science Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N0X2, Canada.
authors.forename: Margaret Yvonne
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Gruber
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, People's Republic of China; Bioengineering College of Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zhihui
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Qin
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D035264:Flowers / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D017343:Genes, Plant; D008027:Light; D026161:MADS Domain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000455:Medicago sativa / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D017440:Photoperiod; D063245:Plant Development / Q000235:genetics; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016335:Zinc Fingers / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; C418902:At5g10140 protein, Arabidopsis; C418905:FT protein, Arabidopsis; C121183:GI protein, Arabidopsis; D026161:MADS Domain Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors
keywords: Arabidopsis thaliana; Dark-enhanced expression; Flowering time; Medicago sativa