@Article{phyton.2024.052844,
AUTHOR = {Xin Qi, Yu Wang, Xing Zhang, Xiaoshuang Wei, Xinyang Liu, Zhennan Wang, Zhenhui Wang, Fenglou Ling},
TITLE = {Cloning, Characterization and Transformation of Methyltransferase 2a Gene (<i>Zmet2a</i>) in Maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.)},
JOURNAL = {Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany},
VOLUME = {93},
YEAR = {2024},
NUMBER = {7},
PAGES = {1767--1779},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/phyton/v93n7/57485},
ISSN = {1851-5657},
ABSTRACT = {DNA methylation is an important epigenetic regulatory mechanism, it regulates gene expression by recruiting proteins involved in gene repression or by inhibiting the binding of transcription factor(s) to DNA. In this study, a novel methyltransferase 2a gene (<i>Zmet2a</i>) was cloned in maize and identified by polymerase chain reaction-base (PCR-base) using a bioinformatics strategy. The <i>Zmet2a</i> cDNA sequence is 2739 bp long and translates to 912 amino acid peptides. The <i>Zmet2a</i> protein revealed that it contains BAH and CHROMO structural domains, is a non-transmembrane protein that is hydrophilically unstable, and has no signal peptide structure. Meanwhile, we verified the biological roles of <i>Zmet2a</i> using transgenic <i>Arabidopsis</i> overexpressing <i>Zmet2a</i> and <i>Zmet2a</i>-knockout maize. Transgenic <i>Zmet2a Arabidopsis</i> thaliana showed highly significant advancement in flowering time, and <i>Zmet2a</i>-knockout maize showed advancement in flowering time, with significant changes in several traits. Altogether, these report the role of <i>Zmet2a</i> in the regulation of flowering time, which will lay a foundation for revealing the biological function and epigenetic regulation mechanism of <i>Zmet2a</i> in the growth, development and flowering of maize.},
DOI = {10.32604/phyton.2024.052844}
}