TITLE:
Heterogeneous Expression and Purification of the Wheat VRN1 K-Box Domain Suggest the Formation of a Tetramer of the VRN1 Protein
AUTHORS:
Takafumi Itoh, Ayane Kamiya, Moe Kimura, Koji Murai
KEYWORDS:
Flowering, MADS-Box Protein, VRN1, Wheat (Triticum aestivum)
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.12 No.7,
July
15,
2021
ABSTRACT: In cereal species such as wheat (Ttiticum aestivum) and barley (Hordeum vulgare), many studies have indicated
that VERNALIZATION 1 (VRN1) functions as a flowering promoter, which activates florigen gene expression.
The wheat florigen gene Wheat FLOWERING
LOCUS T (WFT, which is identical
to VRN3) is an integrator of the
vernalization, photoperiod and autonomous
pathways in wheat flowering, and the WFT expression is correlated with the VRN1 expression. VRN1 encodes an
APETALA1/FRUITFULL-like MADS-box transcription factor which expression
is induced by vernalization, leading to flowering thorough up-regulation of WFT.
In Arabidopsis, it has been reported
that protein-protein interactions are keys for MADS-box protein function and
MADS-box transcription factors must dimerize to bind to the target gene. In
this study, by using gel permeation chromatography (GPC) with purified VRN1
protein, we indicated the possibility that VRN1 protein exists as tetramer-like
as flowering homeotic MADS-box proteins in Arabidopsis.