Abstract:
【 Objective】MicroRNA156s(miR156s)is a kind of very conservative small RNA family. The study on its participation in the regulatory network of gene expression during seed maturation in plants will play a key role in the improvement of seed qualities and yields.【Methods】Based on the reporter gene screening system established by predecessors, the GUS activities of mutants
MIM156-gus and
SPLs-ox were analyzed. The tissue expression characteristics of different members in miR156 family and expression of key regulatory factors during mutant seed maturation process were identified by qRT-PCR technology.【Results】After GUS staining, the four mutants showed GUS phenotype in 14-day-old seedlings, which were
MIM156 and its target genes
SPL2,
SPL10 and
SPL11 with
gus23 as background material. In the miR156 family, the expression level of
miR156a,
d,
e and
j in silique was at least 20 times that of in 14-day-old seedlings. The expression levels of
LEC1,
ABI3 and
FUS3 in the
MIM156 down-regulated mutants were significantly increased to different degrees.【Conclusion】The down-regulation of
miR156 and the over-expression of
SPLs induced the ectopic expression of
SSPs genes. Moreover,
MIM156 promoted the expression of
LEC1,
ABI3 and
FUS3 genes. These indicated that miR156/
SPLs, as a regulatory factor, was involved in the process of plant seed maturation.