Cloning and functional analysis of JnCYCD3;1 in Jatropha nigroviensrugosus

Abstract Background: As a new variety of Jatropha, the female to male flower ratio and yield of Jatropha nigroviensrugosus are higher than the common J. curcas. Using pre-transcriptome data, the full-length gene sequence, subcellular function localization, and verification of the transgenic function were obtained in order to understand the specific functions of differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Results: Results revealed that the open reading frame (ORF) of J. nigroviensrugosus CYCD3;1 (JnCYCD3;1) was 414 bp long, encoding 137 amino acids (aa). Compared to J. curcas, the presence of intron retention led to early termination of the coding frame. JnCYCD3;1 had the highest expression in new leaves, which was 68.42 times root expression, followed by inflorescence buds. The JnMYC2 ORF was 2025 bp, encoding 674 aa. JnMYC2 had the highest expression levels in inflorescence buds. JnCYCD3;1 functioned in the nucleus, while JnMYC2 was distributed in both the nucleus and cytoplasm and may possess transmembrane membrane behavior. Bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BIFC) experiments indicated that JnMYC2 interacted with JnCYCD3;1. JnCYCD3;1 transgenic tobacco considerably advanced the reproductive cycle and may promote flower formation and transformation. Conclusions:The related experiments obtained new CYCD3;1 transcript, verified that CYCD3;1 is related to flower bud differentiation, proved the interaction between hormones-related genes. The study provides a new research direction for gene function of CYCD3;1.