Overexpression of GmGASA32 promoted soybean height by interacting with GmCDC25

GmGASA is the GASA gibberellin regulated cysteine-rich protein family. The expression of GmGASA is up-regulated by gibberellin, which is the longest plant hormone in plants playing vital roles in plant development. However, very few reports explaining the direct regulation of downstream genes by GASA gene are available. In the current study, the GmGASA32, a member of the GASA family affecting soybean height was identified. In the early stage, preliminary verification of the response of GmGASA32 to gibberellin through phenotypic experiment was done. The promoter activity analysis confirmed that GmGASA32 was induced by gibberellin. Subcellular localization showed that GmGASA32-GFP fusion protein enriched in the nucleus after gibberellin treatment. In order to confirm the function of GmGASA32 in the nucleus, we confirmed that the GASA domain in the C terminal of GmGASA32 can interact with GmCDC25 (cell cycle-associated protein) through the bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assay.