A putative flowering-time-related Dof transcription factor gene, JcDof3, is controlled by the circadian clock in Jatropha curcas.Plant Science, 2011, 181: 667-674.

Jing Yanga,b, Ming-Feng Yanga,, Fan Chenc and Shi-Hua Shen a,*

a Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, P. R. China
b School of Chemical Engineering and Environment, North University of China, Taiyuan 030051, P. R. China
c Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, P. R. China

Abstract

Plant-specific DNA-binding transcription factors with one finger (Dof) act important roles in several biological processes. A yeast one-hybrid cDNA library of Jatropha curcas was used to identify a Dof-type transcription factor. JcDof3, isolated from the library as a full-length cDNA, encoded a protein of 518 amino acids and contained a highly conserved Dof domain. Yeast one-hybrid systems and subcelluar localization assays confirmed that JcDof3 was a typical transcription factor. In contrast to arrhythmic expression at basal level in etiolated cotyledons under continuous dark conditions，the circadian oscillations of JcDof3 transcripts were observed under long day, short day or continuous light regimes. A phylogenetic tree showed that JcDof3 was clustered into the same clade with CYCLING DOF FACTOR (CDF), which interacts with F-box protein to regulate photoperiodic flowering. Moreover, yeast two-hybrid assay showed that JcDof3 also interacted with F-box proteins. Our results suggested that JcDof3 is a circadian clock regulated gene, and might be involved in the flowering time regulation of J. curcas.