ZmARF16 Regulates ZCN12 to Promote the Accumulation of Florigen and Accelerate Flowering

Auxin response factors(ARFs) are a class of transcription factors that regulate the expression of auxin response genes and play a crucial role in plant growth and development. Florigen plays a crucial role in the process of flowering. However, the process by which auxin regulates the accumulation of florigen remains largely unclear. This study found that the expression of <i>ZmARF16</i> in maize increases during flowering, and the genetic transformation of <i>ZmARF16</i> accelerates the flowering process in <i>Arabidopsis</i> and <i>maize</i>. Furthermore, <i>ZmARF16</i> was found to be positively correlated with the transcription of the <i>ZCN12</i> gene. Similarly, the FT-like gene <i>ZCN12</i> in <i>maize</i> rescues the late flowering phenotype of the FT mutation in Arabidopsis. Moreover, <i>ZCN12</i> actively participates in the accumulation of florigen and the flowering process. Further research revealed that <i>ZmARF16</i> positively responds to the auxin signal, and that the interaction between ZmARF16 and the <i>ZCN12</i> promoter, as well as the subsequent promotion of <i>ZCN12</i> gene expression, leads to early flowering. This was confirmed through a yeast one-hybrid and dual-luciferase assay. Therefore, the study provides evidence that the <i>ZmARF16</i>-<i>ZCN12</i> module plays a crucial role in regulating the flowering process of <i>maize</i>.