title: Regulation of FT splicing by an endogenous cue in temperate grasses.
abstract: Appropriate flowering timing is crucial for plant reproductive success. The florigen, FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT), interacts with 14-3-3 proteins and the bZIP transcription factor FD, functioning at core nodes in multiple flowering pathways. There are two FT homologues, FT1 and FT2, in Brachypodium distachyon. Here we show that FT2 undergoes age-dependent alternative splicing (AS), resulting in two splice variants (FT2α and FT2β). The FT2β-encoded protein cannot interact with FD or 14-3-3s but is able to form heterodimers with FT2α and FT1, thereby interfering with the florigen-mediated assembly of the flowering initiation complex. Notably, transgenic plants overproducing FT2β exhibit delayed flowering, while transgenic plants in which FT2β is silenced by an artificial microRNA display accelerated flowering, demonstrating a dominant-negative role of FT2β in flowering induction. Furthermore, we show that the AS splicing of FT2 is conserved in important cereal crops, such as barley and wheat. Collectively, these findings reveal a novel posttranscriptional mode of FT regulation in temperate grasses.
authors.affiliation: National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
authors.forename: Zhengrui
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271018, China.
authors.forename: Jiajie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
authors.forename: Shuaifeng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Geng
authors.affiliation: National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271018, China.
authors.forename: Fengjuan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
authors.forename: Xingchen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
authors.forename: Gaoyuan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
authors.forename: Aili
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
authors.forename: Long
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.affiliation: National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.|Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D048948:14-3-3 Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D058431:Brachypodium / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D060405:Florigen / Q000378:metabolism; D035264:Flowers / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D001467:Hordeum / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D011485:Protein Binding; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012326:RNA Splicing; D013997:Time Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014908:Triticum / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D048948:14-3-3 Proteins; D060405:Florigen; D010940:Plant Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D014157:Transcription Factors