DataSheet_1_Deciphering the maize gene ZmGF14–3: implications for plant height based on co-expression networks.zip

The evolutionary analysis showed that the GF14 family was conserved, however, there was limited evidence linking GF14s to plant height. In our investigations, we discovered a co-expression relationship between ZmGF14s and functionally characterized genes linked to plant height. In the co-expression network, we identified ZmGF14-3, a gene expression exhibiting a positive correlation with plant height in three maize varieties, we postulated that this gene could be intimately linked to plant height development. Subsequently, we cloned ZmGF14-3 from the maize B73 inbred line and overexpressed it in Arabidopsis, resulting in markedly dwarfed transgenic phenotypes. Measurements of endogenous phytohormones disclosed a significant reduction in concentrations of Gibberellic Acid 7 (GA7) and Indole-3-Acetic Acid (IAA) in the overexpressed Arabidopsis, furthermore, qPCR results highlighted a pronounced decrease in the expression levels of plant height-related genes when compared to the wild type, therefore, it is plausible to posit that ZmGF14-3 plays a pivotal role in regulating the growth and development of maize through interactions with various phytohormone-related genes. Thus, delving into the potential interactions between ZmGF14-3 and these genes holds the promise of yielding valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underpinning plant height development in maize.

进化分析表明，GF14家族（GF14 family）具有高度保守性，但目前将GF14蛋白与植物株高相关联的研究证据较为有限。在本研究中，我们发现玉米GF14家族（ZmGF14s）基因与已功能鉴定的株高相关基因存在共表达关系。在共表达网络中，我们筛选得到玉米ZmGF14-3基因，该基因在三个玉米品种中的表达量均与株高呈显著正相关，据此我们推测该基因可能与玉米株高发育密切相关。随后，我们从玉米自交系B73中克隆得到ZmGF14-3基因，并将其在拟南芥中过表达，获得了株高显著矮化的转基因植株。对内源植物激素的检测结果显示，过表达ZmGF14-3的拟南芥中，赤霉素7（Gibberellic Acid 7, GA7）与吲哚-3-乙酸（Indole-3-Acetic Acid, IAA）的含量均显著降低；此外，实时荧光定量PCR（qPCR）结果表明，与野生型对照相比，转基因植株中株高相关基因的表达水平显著下调。据此我们可以合理推断，ZmGF14-3可能通过与多种植物激素相关基因互作，在玉米生长发育调控中发挥关键作用。因此，深入探究ZmGF14-3与这些基因之间的潜在互作关系，有望为解析玉米株高发育的分子机制提供重要理论依据。