Cloning and spatio-temporal expression analysis of flowering genes in Bupleurum chinense DC.

In this study we isolated and cloned four flowering-related genes from Bupleurum chinense DC., named BcSVP, BcPAF1, BcCO, and BcFT. Actin and EF-1α were used as double internal standards to analyze the spatial and temporal differences in the expression of four genes in different tissues and flowering stages of Bupleurum chinense DC. qRT-PCR analysis showed that the BcSVP gene was mainly expressed in root, and its relatively expression level was low. BcPAF1 and BcCO were both highly expressed in different parts, and their relative expression level showed an increasing trend and then slowly decreasing with the flowering development process. BcFT was mainly expressed in the stem, and the relatively expression level was increased sharply in the flowering stage. In summary, four genes related to flowering of Bupleurum chinense DC. were cloned and their relative expression levels were characterized, laying a foundation for elucidating the molecular mechanisms that regulate the flowering stage of Bupleurum chinense.