Molecular characterization of a soybean FT homologue, GmFT7

Abstract

Soybean (Glycine max) is a vital oilseed legume crop that provides protein and oil for humans and feedstock for animals. Flowering is a prerequisite for seed production. Floral transition, from vegetative to reproductive stage, in a plant, is regulated by environmental (light, temperature) and endogenous factors. In Arabidopsis, Flowering Locus T (FT) protein is shown to be a mobile signal that moves from leaf to shoot apical meristem to induce flowering. However, FTs role in soybean is not fully resolved due to the presence of multiple (ten) homologs in the genome. Two of the ten FT homologs (GmFT2a and GmFT5a) have a role in the floral transition while GmFT1a and GmFT4 suppress soybean flo..