Floral transition genes in maize and uses thereof

Abstract

The invention provides isolated floral transition nucleic acids and their encoded proteins. The present invention provides methods and compositions relating to altering floral transition in plants. The invention further provides regulatory elements, recombinant expression cassettes, host cells and transgenic plants.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An isolated polynucleotide having at least 80% sequence identity, as determined by the GAP algorithm under default parameters, to the full length sequence of a polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOS: 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 or 34; wherein the polynucleotide functions as a promoter. 
     
     
         2 . A polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOS: 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 or 34. 
     
     
         3 . A recombinant expression cassette comprising the promoter of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         4 . A host cell comprising the polynucleotide of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         5 . A transgenic plant comprising the polynucleotide of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         6 . The transgenic plant of  claim 5 , wherein said plant is a monocot. 
     
     
         7 . The transgenic plant of  claim 5 , wherein said plant is a dicot. 
     
     
         8 . The transgenic plant of  claim 5 , wherein said plant is selected from the group consisting of: maize, soybean, sunflower, sorghum, canola, wheat, alfalfa, cotton, rice, barley, millet, peanut and cocoa. 
     
     
         9 . A transgenic seed from the transgenic plant of  claim 5 . 
     
     
         10 . A method of modulating the flowering time in plants, comprising:
 a. introducing into a plant cell a recombinant expression cassette comprising the polynucleotide of  claim 1 ; and   b. culturing the plant under plant cell growing conditions; wherein the flowering time in said plant cell is modulated.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the plant cell is from a plant selected from the group consisting of: maize, soybean, sunflower, sorghum, canola, wheat, alfalfa, cotton, rice, barley, millet, peanut and cocoa. 
     
     
         12 . A method of modulating the flowering time in a plant, comprising:
 a. introducing into a plant cell a recombinant expression cassette comprising the polynucleotide of  claim 1 ;   b. culturing the plant cell under plant cell growing conditions; and   c. regenerating a plant from said plant cell; wherein the flowering time in said plant is modulated.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the plant is selected from the group consisting of: maize, soybean, sorghum, canola, wheat, alfalfa, cotton, rice, barley, millet, peanut, and cocoa. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein said plant is used to produce hybrid seed.