Abstract: 【Objective】The aim of the research is to study the response to photoperiodical variation, clone the EMF gene in maize and study the expression pattern of this gene. 【Method】 CML288, a tropical inbred line, and Huanzao4, a temperate inbred line, were used as materials to study the response to photoperiodical variation in maize. The two inbred lines were grown in 2 different controlled photoperiod rhythms, 9 h and 15 h. And some CML288 plants grew at one level of photoperiod and then were transferred to the other photoperiodical level at different stages. Developmental stages and leaf numbers were recorded. A photoperiod related gene was cloned using RT-PCR. The expression of the gene in different treated materials was studied. 【Result】Results showed that CML288 was very sensitive to photoperiodical variation, but Huangzao4 was not. The seven-leaf stage is the most sensitive period for CML288 under short-day condition, and the nine-leaf stage on long-day condition. The cloned novel gene contains an open reading frame of 1881bp encoding a putative DNA binding protein of 626 amino acids, which was possessed of a C2H2-type zinc finger motif, two putative nuclear localization signals and an acidic cluster. It expressed or did not differ from different materials. 【Conclusion】The function of the gene might be maintained vegetative development by repressing the flower program genes. Northern blot revealed that it expresses both in the SAM and leaf.

Key words: Maize, Photoperiod, Clone, Zinc finger motif, RT-PCR