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Journal of Integrative Agriculture
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The TATA-box binding protein-associated factor ZmTAF11 regulates plant architecture in maize

Fengzhong Lu1, You Zhou1, Yajie Liu1, Xin Zhang1, Tao Wan1, Jingtao Qu2, Wanchen Li1, Fengling Fu1, Wei Guo1, Haijian Lin1, 3, Jianfeng Hu1, Jie Xu1, Guangchao Sun1, Yao Wang1, Yanli Lu1, 4#, Haoqiang Yu1#

1 Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China 

2 CIMMYT-China Specialty Maize Research Center, Crop Breeding and Cultivation Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 201403, China

3 Sichuan Tianfu New Area Revitalization Research Institute, Chengdu 610057 China

4 State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Exploration and Utilization in Southwest China, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China

 Highlights 

ZmTAF11, encoding a TATA-box binding protein-associated factor, is identified as the causal gene for the compact maize mutant cpa.

l ZmTAF11 directly activates the leaf morphogenesis genes ZmAXL and ZmBOB1, regulating vein development and plant architecture.

l Haplotype AGTG of ZmTAF11 exhibits a lower ear height index, is detected in temperate maize lines, and is geographically distributed across North America.

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摘要  

玉米紧凑型株型是实现密植高产的关键,是玉米育种的核心目标之一。本研究鉴定到一个玉米 T-DNA 插入紧凑型株型突变体cpa,相较于野生型,该突变体表现为叶片披垂度减小,株高与穗位高下降,叶片大小、节间长度、雄穗长度及分枝数减少,产量降低。石蜡切片分析显示,cpa突变体叶脉横截面积缩小、表皮细胞宽度减小,而叶脉密度增大。遗传分析表明,T-DNA片段插入编码 TATA-box结合蛋白相关因子基因ZmTAF11的首个外显子中。ZmTAF11基因在玉米各组织中均有表达,其编码蛋白定位于细胞核。利用 CRISPR/Cas9 技术创制的 Zmtaf11 突变体,表现出cpa突变体一致的紧凑型株型特征。ZmTAF11可直接结合叶片形态建成相关基因ZmAXLZmBOB1的启动子,进而促进二者转录。此外,ZmTAF11 基因有4SNP与穗位数显著关联,其中AGTG单倍型的玉米表现出较低的穗位数,主要存在于温带玉米自交系中,且在地理分布上集中于北美地区。本研究明确了ZmTAF11在玉米株型调控中的作用,为玉米密植育种中提供了理论依据。



Abstract  

Compact maize architecture is crucial for high planting densities and yields, which is a key breeding objective. In this study, a maize T-DNA insertion mutant with compact plant architecture (cpa) was identified, showing reduced leaf curling, drooping angle, plant and ear height, leaf dimensions, internode and tassel length, tassel branch number, and yield compared to WT. Paraffin section analysis showed reduced vein cross-sectional area, epidermal cell width, and increased vein density in the cpa mutant. Genetic analysis revealed that T-DNA was inserted into the first exon of a gene encoding TATA-box binding protein-associated factor (TAF) in the cpa mutant, which was named ZmTAF11. ZmTAF11 exhibited ubiquitous expression across various tissues and nuclear localization. Loss-of-function Zmtaf11 mutants generated by CRISPR/Cas9 exhibited the characteristic compact phenotype, which was consistent with that of the cpa mutant. ZmTAF11 directly binds to the promoters of leaf morphogenesis-related genes ZmAXL and ZmBOB1, thereby promoting their transcription. Furthermore, four SNPs in ZmTAF11 were significantly associated with ear height index (EHI), and the AGTG haplotype showed a lower EHI. This haplotype was predominantly found in temperate maize lines and geographically distributed across North America. These findings reveal the role of ZmTAF11 in regulating maize architecture and its potential application in high-density maize breeding. 

Keywords:  plant architecture       TAF11              transcription initiation factor              leaf morphology              maize  
Online: 05 February 2026  
Fund: 

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2021YFF1000303), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32572426, 32372146, 32301763, and 32401781) and the Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan Province (2024NSFSC1206, 2024NSFSC0334, 2025ZNSFSC1012 and 2025ZNSFSC0015).

About author:  #Correspondence Yanli Lu, E-mail: luyanli@sicau.edu.cn; Haoqiang Yu, E-mail: yhq1801@sicau.edu.cn

Cite this article: 

Fengzhong Lu, You Zhou, Yajie Liu, Xin Zhang, Tao Wan, Jingtao Qu, Wanchen Li, Fengling Fu, Wei Guo, Haijian Lin, Jianfeng Hu, Jie Xu, Guangchao Sun, Yao Wang, Yanli Lu, Haoqiang Yu. 2026. The TATA-box binding protein-associated factor ZmTAF11 regulates plant architecture in maize. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, Doi:10.1016/j.jia.2026.02.006

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