Functional Analysis Of Soybean GmZTL Gene

The plant perceives the environmental signals and alters in its development pathway by changing the expression patterns of many genes.This signal cascade includes the input pathway of the clock,the central oscillator and the output pathway of the clock. ZTL protein not only acts as a photoreceptor of blue light,but also influences the stabilization of the clock protein and regulates clock functions and maintains regular running of the clock.This research is based on the detailed functional understand of AtZTL and take Arabidopsis as research material and GmZTL as object to study.We applied some technologies to study the biological function of GmZTL protein in regulating biological oscillator and signal output ways and the influence of photoperiod to flowering pathway.The analysis of bioinformatics of GmZTL and AtZTL showed that there is 85.9% identity between them and they are in the closest relation compared to homologs in other plants.There are several domains found in GmZTL but not in AtZTL,such as a WD,two F-Box,a Radical SAM and a PPR repeat.We have created the overexpressors of GmZTL,GFP:GmZTL and GmZTL:GFP in Arabidopsis and found that these overexpressors showed a very similar phenotype with that of AtZTL.(1) The overexpressors of GmZTL flower late in long days compared to the wild type.But in short days many overexpressors of GmZTL show a phenotype of early flowering compared to wild type(2) The overexpressors of GFP:GmZTL and GmZTL:GFP show a very similar phenotype with the overexpressors of GmZTL.(3) Compared to their parents(ztl mutation),the overexpressors of GmZTL have a long hypocotyl in red light,but not in blue light.(4) The expression of GmZTL mRNA did not show circadian change in long days or short days.(5) GmZTL is constitutive expression,but high levels in epicotyls,unifoliolates,the third trifoliolates,flowers and pods.In summary,GmZTL may have not only similar functions to that of AtZTL but some new functions,and it is a regulator of the clock.The results paved a way in further researching in the molecular mechanism of flowering and the production in soybean.