The expression and interaction proteins analysis of BjuFKF1/LKP2 in B. juncea

Brassica juncea is one of a unique vegetable in China, its tumorous stem can be processed into pickle or as fresh vegetable. For a long time, early-bolting as a main factor affects yield and quality of B. juncea, which happens about 15% all year round. As plant specific blue light receptors, FKF1/LKP2 involved in photoperiod flowering. To analyze the expression levels of BjuFKF1/BjuLKP2 and screen their interaction proteins in B. juncea, qRT-PCR and yeast two hybrid assays were recruited. qRT-PCR assays found that the expression levels of BjuFKF1 and BjuLKP2 were up-regulated expressed under both white and blue light. When under different light, BjuFKF1 was significantly increased at vegetative growth stage, but decreased in flowers under blue light. For BjuLKP2, its expression levels did not show significant changes under different light treatment. To investigate interaction proteins, BjuFKF1 and BjuLKP2 were used as bait proteins, and nine potential proteins were screened from yeast library. Yeast two hybrid assays was recruited to further verify their interaction, the results showed that both BjuFKF1 and BjuLKP2 interacted with BjuCOL, BjuCOL3, BjuCOL5, BjuAP2, BjuAP2-1 and BjuSKP1f, only BjuLKP2 interacted with BjuSVP-1 and BjuCDF1 in vivo. In this study, BjuFKF1 and BjuLKP2 were up-regulated expressed under both white and blue light. Yeast two hybrid results verified that BjuFKF1 and BjuLKP2 interacted with six and eight of those nine proteins in vivo, respectively. All of those results will provided reference genes to study BjuFKF1/BjuLKP2 regulated flowering pathway in B. juncea.