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Updated: Jul 7, 2026

Forward Genetic Screen Using Transgenic Calcium Reporter Aequorin to Identify Novel Targets in Calcium Signaling
Published on: August 1, 2020
The interaction network of a rice seed-specific transcription factor OsMADS29 and the calcium sensors, calmodulin,
Neelima Boora1, Ridhi Khurana1,2, Vibha Verma1
1Interdisciplinary Centre for Plant Genomics, Department of Plant Molecular Biology, University of Delhi South Campus, India.
Abstract:
Calmodulin (CaM) and calmodulin-like (CML) proteins, as calcium sensors, are key modulators of plant signaling and development, yet their roles in regulating seed-specific transcription factors remain underexplored. Here, we investigated the interaction landscape between the rice seed-specific MIKC-type MADS-box transcription factor OsMADS29 and the CaM/CML family. Phylogenetic and expression analyses identified 40 CaM/CML genes expressed during seed development, of which 28 were cloned for interaction studies. Bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays revealed that OsMADS29 interacts with 22 CaM/CML proteins, showing distinct cytoplasmic or dual cytoplasmic-nuclear localization patterns, while yeast two-hybrid assays confirmed 20 of these interactions. Further, four additional MADS-box proteins (OsMADS7, 8, 14, and 15) also demonstrated interactions with CaM and selected CMLs, indicating a broader regulatory network. Our interaction data suggest a potential role of CaM/CML proteins in modulating OsMADS29 subcellular localization, likely influencing its dimerization and regulatory functions during seed development. This study establishes a conceptual framework linking calcium signaling to the regulation of MADS-box transcription factors and provides a foundation for future functional analyses of how CaM/CML interactions influence MADS-mediated transcriptional control during rice seed development.
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