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Molecular cloning, expression analysis and subcellular localization of LEAFY in carrot (Daucus carota L.)

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Abstract

FLO/LEAFY (LFY) genes in the FLO_LFY superfamily are important factors regulating plant transition from inflorescence to floral meristems. In this study, we cloned a full-length LFY cDNA from leaves of carrot (Daucus carota L.). The sequenced gene, designated as DcLFY (GenBank accession number KU297945), comprised 1368 with a 1176-bp open reading frame. The deduced encoded protein, which contained 391 amino acid residues and possessed typical N- and C-domains, shared 67.82 % similarity with LFY of Ziziphus jujube. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that the relative expression of DcLFY in carrot was the highest in inflorescences and gradually decreased with the growth of the inflorescence during flowering. Expression of green fluorescent protein-fused DcLFY in onion (Allium cepa L.) epidermal cells was localized in nuclei. These results demonstrate that DcLFY is a putative FLO/LFY homolog related to the flowering pathway. Taken together, our data suggest that DcLFY is a crucial transcription factor in floral initiation and floral development in carrot.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by grants from the National Key Technology Research and Development Program of China (2012BAD01B00, 2012BAD50G01 and 2014BAD01B08). Our research was also supported by the Technological Innovation Capacity Program of the Beijing Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences (KJCX20150111).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Beijing Vegetable Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing, 100097, People’s Republic of China

    Chunsha Zhang & Yi Liang

  2. Genetic Institute of Physiology of Plant Transgenic Center, Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry, Shijiazhuang, 0311, People’s Republic of China

    Hongwei Zhang

  3. National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement and College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, People’s Republic of China

    Zongxiang Zhan

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  1. Chunsha Zhang
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  2. Hongwei Zhang
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  3. Zongxiang Zhan
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  4. Yi Liang
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Correspondence to Yi Liang.

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The experiments comply with the current laws of China.

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11032_2016_510_MOESM1_ESM.tif

Fig. S1 Schematic diagram of the DcLFY domain. Prediction of the gene domain using the CDD software (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Structure/cdd/wrpsb.cgi). (TIFF 65 kb)

Supplementary material 2 (XLS 16 kb)

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Zhang, C., Zhang, H., Zhan, Z. et al. Molecular cloning, expression analysis and subcellular localization of LEAFY in carrot (Daucus carota L.). Mol Breeding 36, 89 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11032-016-0510-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11032-016-0510-y

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