Data from: Analysis of the PEBP gene family and identification of a novel FLOWERING LOCUS T orthologue in sugarcane

<p>Sugarcane (<i>Saccharum</i> spp.) is an important economic crop for both sugar and biomass, the yields of which are negatively affected by flowering. The molecular mechanisms controlling flowering in sugarcane are nevertheless poorly understood. RNA-seq data analysis and database searches have enabled a comprehensive description of the PEBP gene family in sugarcane. It is shown to consist of at least 13 <i>FLOWERING LOCUS T </i>(<i>FT</i>)-like genes, two <i>MOTHER OF FT AND TFL </i>(<i>MFT</i>)<i>-</i>like genes, and four <i>TERMINAL FLOWER </i>(<i>TFL</i>)-like genes. As expected, these genes all show very high homology to their corresponding genes in <i>Sorghum</i>, and also to <i>FT</i>-like, <i>MFT-</i>like, and <i>TFL</i>-like genes in maize, rice, and Arabidopsis. Functional analysis in Arabidopsis showed that the sugarcane <i>ScFT3</i> gene can rescue the late flowering phenotype of the Arabidopsis <i>ft-10</i> mutant, whereas <i>ScFT5</i> cannot. High expression levels of <i>ScFT3</i> in leaves of short day-induced sugarcane plants coincided with initial stages of floral induction in the shoot apical meristem as shown by histological analysis of meristem dissections. This suggests that <i>ScFT3</i> is likely to play a role in floral induction in sugarcane; however, other sugarcane <i>FT</i>-like genes may also be involved in the flowering process.</p>