Regulation of FLOWERING LOCUS T by a MicroRNA in Brachypodium distachyon

The highly conserved florigen gene FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) functions at the core of the flowering pathways. Extensive studies have examined the transcriptional regulation of FT; however, other layers of FT regulation remain unclear. Here, we identified miR5200 a Pooideae-specific microRNA that is expressed in leaves and targets Brachypodium distachyon FT orthologs for mRNA cleavage. miR5200 was abundantly expressed in plants grown under short-day (SD) conditions but was dramatically repressed in plants transferred to long-day (LD) conditions. We also found that the epigenetic chromatin status, specifically the levels of histone methylation marks, at miR5200 precursor loci changed in response to daylength. Moreover, artificial interruption of miR5200 activity by target mimicry in B. distachyon altered flowering time in SD but not in LD conditions, suggesting that miR5200 functions in photoperiod-mediated flowering time regulation. Together, these findings illustrate a posttranscriptional regulation mechanism of FT and provide insights into understanding of the multiple concerted pathways for flowering time control in plants.