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Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2025, Vol. 24 Issue (4): 1372-1389    DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2023.10.030
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Fine mapping and discovery of MIR172e, a candidate gene required for inflorescence development and lower floret abortion in maize ear
Lanjie Zheng1*, Qianlong Zhang1*, Huiying Liu1, Xiaoqing Wang3, Xiangge Zhang4, Zhiwei Hu2, Shi Li1, Li Ji1, Manchun Ji1, Yong Gu5, Jiaheng Yang1, Yong Shi1, Yubi Huang2#, Xu Zheng1#

1 State Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science/Center for Crop Genome Engineering, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China

2 College of Agronomy, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China

3 School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450002, China

4 Industrial Crop Research Institute, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou 450002, China

5 Sichuan Yuliang Testing Co., Ltd., Chengdu 611130, China

 Highlights 
● MIR172e is essential for inflorescence development and grain size in maize.
● The miR172e/EREB197 regulatory module is pivotal in controlling lower floret abortion in maize ear.
● Mutations in MIR172e significantly impact flower development and hormone-related pathways.
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摘要  

玉米(Zea mays L.)是雌雄同株异花植物,其雌穗和雄穗分别为雌花序和雄花序。成熟的玉米雌花序通常能产生数百粒籽粒,决定籽粒的大小及粒重,直接影响玉米的最终产量。本研究鉴定了一个玉米隐性花序发育缺陷突变体tasselseed2016(ts2016),该突变体雌雄花序在发育过程中表现出多方面的缺陷且籽粒产量降低,包括雌雄花序上各类分生组织的确定性和小花中器官身份的缺失、雌穗下位小花退化障碍及籽粒变小。通过图位克隆及等位测试,确定该表型由microRNA基因MIR172e基因突变造成。此外,本研究鉴定到一个调控玉米雌穗下位小花退化的分子模块——miR172e/ETHYLENE RESPONSIVE ELEMENT BINDING197 (EREB197)。转录组分析表明,MIR172e突变能抑制玉米雌穗发育中的多个生物过程,特别是花发育和激素相关途径。另外,我们发现MIR172e DNA序列突变影响其RNA的转录,导致突变位点后的转录延伸受阻。本研究揭示了MIR172e在玉米花序发育和籽粒产量中的作用和分子机制,加深了我们对玉米花发育调控的认识。



Abstract  
Maize (Zea mays L.) is a monoecious grass species with separate male and female inflorescences which form the tassel and ear, respectively.  The mature ear inflorescences usually bear hundreds of grains, so they directly influence maize grain production and yield.  Here, we isolated a recessive maize mutant, tasselseed2016 (ts2016), which exhibits pleiotropic inflorescence defects and reduced grain yield.  These defects include the loss of determinacy and identity in meristems and floral organs, as well as a lack of the lower floret abortion in maize ear, and a smaller grain size.  Using map-based cloning and allelic testing, we identified and confirmed the microRNA gene MIR172e as the target gene controlling these related traits.  Furthermore, our evidence uncovered a new potential miR172e/ETHYLENE RESPONSIVE ELEMENT BINDING197 (EREB197) regulatory module which controls lower floret abortion in maize ear.  Transcriptome analysis revealed that the mutation of MIR172e represses multiple biological processes, particularly the flower development and hormone-related pathways in maize ear.  We also found that a mutation in the DNA sequence of MIR172e affects RNA transcription, resulting in elongation blockage at the mutant site.  Our results reveal the function and molecular mechanism of MIR172e in maize inflorescences and grain yield, and this study deepens our knowledge of maize inflorescence development.


Keywords:  inflorescence        ear        ts2016        MIR172e        grain yield        maize (Zea mays L.)  
Received: 10 July 2023   Accepted: 08 October 2023
Fund: 
This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Henan Province, China (232300421260), the Tackling Key Problems in Science and Technology of Henan Province, China (222102110465, to LZ and 232102111097, to YS), and the Open Project Program (SKL-KF202214) of the State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Exploration and Utilization in Southwest China. 
About author:  Lanjie Zheng, E-mail: zhenglanjie@henau.edu.cn; Qianlong Zhang, E-mail: 13525484695@163.com; #Correspondence Xu Zheng, Tel: +86-371-56990188, E-mail: zhengxu@henau.edu.cn; Yubi Huang, +86-28-86290875, E-mail: yubihuang@sohu.com * These authors contributed equally to this study.

Cite this article: 

Lanjie Zheng, Qianlong Zhang, Huiying Liu, Xiaoqing Wang, Xiangge Zhang, Zhiwei Hu, Shi Li, Li Ji, Manchun Ji, Yong Gu, Jiaheng Yang, Yong Shi, Yubi Huang, Xu Zheng. 2025. Fine mapping and discovery of MIR172e, a candidate gene required for inflorescence development and lower floret abortion in maize ear. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 24(4): 1372-1389.

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