AUTHOR=Li Hui-Liang , Wei Li-Ran , Guo Dong , Wang Ying , Zhu Jia-Hong , Chen Xiong-Ting , Peng Shi-Qing 

TITLE=HbMADS4, a MADS-box Transcription Factor from Hevea brasiliensis, Negatively Regulates HbSRPP

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2016

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2016.01709

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2016.01709

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>In plants MADS-box transcription factors (TFs) play important roles in growth and development. However, no plant MADS-box gene has been identified to have a function related to secondary metabolites regulation. Here, a MADS-box TF gene, designated as <italic>HbMADS4</italic>, was isolated from <italic>Hevea brasiliensis</italic> by the yeast one-hybrid experiment to screen the latex cDNA library using the promoter of the gene encoding <italic>H. brasiliensis</italic> small rubber particle protein (HbSRPP) as bait. <italic>HbMADS4</italic> was 984-bp containing 633-bp open reading frame encoding a deduced protein of 230 amino acid residues with a typical conserved MADS-box motif at the N terminus. <italic>HbMADS4</italic> was preferentially expressed in the latex, but little expression was detected in the leaves, flowers, and roots. Its expression was inducible by methyl jasmonate and ethylene. Furthermore, transient over-expression and over-expression of HbMADS4 in transgenic tobacco plants significantly suppressed the activity of the <italic>HbSRP</italic> promoter. Altogether, it is proposed that HbMADS4 is a negative regulator of <italic>HbSRPP</italic> which participates in the biosynthesis of natural rubber.</p>