Zm00001eb038700 gene for regulating corn plant height and application of Zm00001eb038700 gene

Abstract

The invention discloses a Zm00001eb038700 gene for regulating and controlling the plant height of corn and an application of the Zm00001eb038700 gene. The nucleotide sequence of the gene is shown as SEQ ID NO: 1, and the expression quantity of the gene is in positive correlation with the corn plant height. The amino acid sequence of the protein encoded by the gene is shown as SEQ ID NO: 2, and the protein encodes a conservative C2H2 type zinc finger protein Bud20 which may participate in development regulation of internode parts so as to influence the corn plant height. A site SNP1-206, a site 628 and a site 704 are arranged at the downstream 3801bp of the gene; when the genotype of the site is CC, the corn shows a dwarf character; when the genotype is changed into AA, the corn shows the high-stalk dominant character. The invention discloses the dose effect relationship between the expression level of the Zm00001eb038700 gene and the corn plant height for the first time, and 3.57% of plant height phenotypic variation can be explained by associated SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism) of the Zm00001eb038700 gene. According to the invention, a molecular marker combination combining the SNP genotype and the gene expression quantity is developed, so that the plant height prediction accuracy is remarkably improved; therefore, the result of the invention provides technical support for breeding high-yield corn varieties with suitable plant types.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of agricultural biotechnology, and in particular to a Zm00001eb038700 gene located on maize chromosome 1 that regulates maize plant height and an application thereof. Background Art

[0002] Maize plant height is a key agronomic trait that determines crop planting density, lodging resistance, and biomass. In recent years, with the development of molecular biology techniques, multiple genetic loci regulating maize plant height have been identified, mainly including the following categories: Plant hormone-related genes: such as auxin transporter genes (e.g., br2) and gibberellin synthesis genes. These genes mainly affect stem elongation by regulating hormone signaling pathways.

[0003] Cell elongation-related genes: such as genes encoding cell wall modification enzymes, which regulate internode elongation by changing cell wall plasticity.

[0004] Transcription regulatory factors: such as HD-ZIP transcription factors, which affect stem development by regulating the expression of downstream target genes.

[0005] However, existing research has the following limitations: (1) The identified plant height-related genes are mostly concentrated in known metabolic pathways, and few new regulatory factors have been discovered; (2) Most studies focus only on gene sequence variation and lack the exploration of gene expression regulation mechanisms; (3) Traditional molecular markers are mostly based on single SNP sites, and their prediction accuracy is greatly affected by the environment.

[0006] In addition, existing technologies focus more on gene sequence variation, while research on gene expression regulation is relatively insufficient. The present invention first discovered that regulating the expression level of the Zm00001eb038700 gene can effectively change corn plant height, providing a new idea for plant height improvement. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address these issues, the present invention provides the Zm00001eb038700 gene, which regulates maize plant height, and its applications. This study reveals for the first time the dose-response relationship between Zm00001eb038700 gene expression and maize plant height, demonstrating that its associated single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) explains 3.57% of the phenotypic variation in plant height. The present invention developed a molecular marker combination that combines SNP genotype and gene expression, significantly improving plant height prediction accuracy. The present invention also provides a multi-level regulatory strategy for this gene, including gene editing and expression regulation.

[0008] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a Zm00001eb038700 gene for regulating corn plant height, the nucleotide sequence of the Zm00001eb038700 gene is shown in SEQ ID NO: 1, and its expression level is positively correlated with corn plant height.

[0009] The present invention also provides a protein for regulating corn plant height. The protein is encoded by the gene, and the amino acid sequence of the protein is shown in SEQ ID NO: 2.

[0010] The present invention also provides a molecular marker for detecting the plant height trait of corn, wherein the molecular marker SNP1-206,628,704 site is located 3801bp downstream of the gene; when the genotype of the SNP1-206,628,704 site is CC, the corn exhibits a dwarf stalk trait; when the genotype changes to AA, the corn exhibits a tall stalk (suitable height) dominant trait.

[0011] The present invention also provides a product for detecting the molecular marker, comprising a reagent, a kit or a gene chip, and detecting the genotype of the molecular marker or the expression level of the Zm00001eb038700 gene.

[0012] As a further description of the above scheme: the products include products prepared by PCR, qPCR, Sanger sequencing, high-throughput sequencing, fluorescence in situ hybridization, TaqMan probe method, ARMS-PCR method or KASP method, which are used to detect the genotype of the molecular marker.

[0013] The present invention also provides applications of the gene, protein or molecular marker, including any of the following: a) Evaluation of genetic diversity of maize plant height based on haplotype analysis of SNP1-206,628,704 loci; b) Construction of a molecular genetic map integrating SNP1-206, 628, 704 and / or Zm00001eb038700 gene expression; c) Genome-wide association analysis of maize plant height using SNP1-206,628,704 and its linked markers; d) Identify dwarf corn varieties by detecting the genotypes of SNP1-206, 628, 704 and / or the haplotypes of the Zm00001eb038700 gene; e) Molecular marker-assisted selection breeding based on SNP1-206,628,704 loci and / or associated haplotypes; f) Plant height breeding for maize using SNP1-206,628,704 as genomic selection markers; g) Gene editing breeding that targets editing of SNP1-206, 628, 704 sites and / or regulates the expression of the Zm00001eb038700 gene.

[0014] The present invention also provides a method for regulating corn plant height, wherein the method changes the gene editing target site by gene editing technology, and the gene editing target site is selected from: SNP1-206,628,704 sites, Zm00001eb038700 gene promoter region or Zm00001eb038700 gene coding region.

[0015] The present invention also provides a method for polymer breeding of corn plants, comprising the following steps: (1) Detect the genotype of SNP1-206, 628, and 704 in the corn sample to be tested; (2) Detect the expression level of Zm00001eb038700 gene; (3) Combine SNP genotype and gene expression data to screen maize varieties with target plant height traits.

[0016] The present invention also provides a corn plant height prediction model, which establishes a multiple linear regression equation based on the expression level of the Zm00001eb038700 gene and the genotype of the SNP1-206,628,704 site to predict the corn plant height phenotype.

[0017] This study used the shorter temperate maize inbred line Ye107 as a common male parent and hybridized it with one temperate and four tropical / subtropical maize inbred lines as female parents to construct a multi-parent maize population with significant plant height variation. Genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) pinpointed SNP 1-206,628,704 on chromosome 1, which is significantly associated with plant height. This locus explained 3.57% of the phenotypic variation in plant height. The functional gene Zm00001eb038700, which regulates maize plant height, was identified from this locus. qRT-PCR results showed that this gene was highly expressed in maize internodes, demonstrating its high correlation with maize plant height regulation. Therefore, the results of this study provide technical support for the use of molecular markers to select high-yield maize varieties with suitable plant architecture.

[0018] Compared with the existing technology, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. A new plant height-regulating gene Innovation in gene function: Zm00001eb038700 (encoding a C2H2-type zinc finger protein) was discovered for the first time to regulate corn plant height. It is different from known hormone-related genes (such as auxin and gibberellin pathways) or protein modification genes (such as ubiquitin hydrolases) and is a new target of transcriptional regulation.

[0019] 2. Unique molecular marker design Innovation in marker positioning: SNP1-206,628,704 is located 3801bp downstream of the gene (not within the gene) and may affect enhancers or long-range regulatory elements.

[0020] Haplotype combination application: The present invention has developed a molecular marker system based on five haplotypes (Hap1-Hap5), among which the Hap4 haplotype is significantly correlated with the tall stalk trait and is more accurate than a single SNP marker.

[0021] 3. Specific Applications of Tropical Maize Germplasm Ecotype adaptability: This marker performs better in tropical / subtropical corn germplasm, filling the gap in existing technology.

[0022] Environmental stability: The SNP loci were verified to be stably associated with the phenotype in multiple environments such as Jinghong and Yanshan in Yunnan (PVE was 3.57%).

[0023] 4. Multi-level technology integration Composite detection system: Plant height prediction can be performed by combining SNP genotype, haplotype analysis and gene expression. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 A pedigree of NAM populations with significant differences in plant height was constructed for hybrids of four tropical / subtropical tall parents and one temperate dwarf parent, Chang7-2, with an excellent temperate dwarf parent, Ye107. Figure 2 The scatter plots of plant height phenotype frequency distribution and correlation matrix of multi-parent populations under three environments are shown; Figure 3 (A) SNPs marker density heat map; (B) phylogenetic tree of multi-parent population; (B) three-dimensional principal component analysis (PCA); (D) linkage disequilibrium (LD) decay map; Figure 4 Manhattan plot (left) and QQ plot (right) of the GWAS analysis of significant SNPs in maize plant height under different environments; (A) 21 Jinghong environment, (B) 22 Yanshan environment, (C) 23 Yanshan environment, and (D) Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP) analysis of significant SNPs associated with maize plant height. Figure 5The five haplotypes of the plant height candidate gene Zm00001eb038700 are shown in Figure 2. (A) represents the five haplotypes of the candidate gene Zm00001eb038700, (B) represents the distribution of the five haplotypes of the candidate gene Zm00001eb038700 in the five RILs subpopulations, and the differences in regulating maize plant height. * indicates p < 0.05, ** indicates p < 0.01, (C) depicts the relative positions of candidate gene Zm00001eb038700 and SNP-206,628,704; Figure 6 is the relative expression level of Zm00001eb038700 gene at different stages; A represents the growth and development dynamics of the 7th internode of the five parents at four stages (V8, V14, VT, R3); B represents the relative expression level of Zm00001eb038700 gene in the five parents, and the symbol ** indicates P Significance < 0.005, *** indicates P The significance was < 0.001, and ns indicated that the difference was not significant. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] To further illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, the Zm00001eb038700 gene for regulating corn plant height and its application provided by the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples, but they should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0026] The present invention provides a Zm00001eb038700 gene for regulating corn plant height. The nucleotide sequence of the Zm00001eb038700 gene is shown in SEQ ID NO: 1.

[0027] This gene corresponds to bases 206614407-206626403 on chromosome 1 of maize in the Zm-B73-REFERENCE-NAM-5.0 genome. The amino acid sequence of the protein encoded by this gene is shown in SEQ ID NO:2. This protein encodes a conserved C2H2-type zinc finger protein, Bud20, which may directly or indirectly regulate auxin synthesis, transport, or signal transduction, thereby affecting auxin distribution and accumulation in the stem, and thereby regulating internode elongation and plant height. SNP1-206,628,704 indicates the physical location of this SNP on chromosome 1 in the maize reference genome (B73 RefGen_v5) (base position 206,628,704).

[0028] Example 1 Plant height phenotypic analysis Plant materials: A population of 917 RILs was constructed by crossing the temperate dwarf inbred line Ye107 with five tropical / subtropical / temperate inbred lines (YML32, CML171, TML418, NK40-1, and Chang7-2). The parental information is shown in Table 1.

[0029] Table 1 Parent information

[0030] Figure 1 Five multi-parent populations were constructed, comprising populations 1 (YML32×Ye107), 2 (CML171×Ye102), 3 (TML418×Ye102), 4 (NK40-1×Ye107), and 5 (Chang7-2×Ye107). These populations contained a total of 917 F8 RILs, distributed as follows: population 1 (173), population 2 (190), population 3 (176), population 4 (180), and population 5 (198). The parents and recombinant inbred lines from these multi-parent populations were cultivated.

[0031] Planting environment: Jinghong (552.7 m above sea level) in 2021 and Yanshan (1572 m above sea level) in 2022-2023, using a randomized block design with three biological replicates.

[0032] The experiment used a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three biological replicates per environment. Each plot had a row length of 3.5 meters, a row spacing of 70 cm, and a plant spacing of 25 cm, with 14 plants per row. Plant height (PH) was measured in centimeters (cm) from the ground to the tip of the tassel of 5-10 plants randomly selected from each plot 20 days after flowering.

[0033] Heritability analysis After systematically organizing and quality-controlling the phenotypic data collected over three consecutive years, statistical analysis was performed using SPSS Statistics 26. This included calculation of the mean, minimum, maximum, standard deviation (SD), coefficient of variation (CV), skewness, and kurtosis. Kurtosis and skewness were used to assess the normal distribution of the phenotypic data. Pearson correlation coefficient analysis and related graphs were performed using Origin (Origin 2022). Broad-sense heritability was calculated according to the method of Knapp et al.

[0034] Experimental results: Preliminary statistical analysis of the plant height phenotypic data of the five RILs (Recombinant Inbred Lines) populations revealed significant differences in plant height between all female plants (156.0-216.0 cm) and the male plant height of Ye 107 (155.0 cm). The plant height of the RILs population also showed a wide range of phenotypic variation ( Figure 1 ). Descriptive statistics of the plant height phenotypic data of the five RILs populations are shown in Table 2. Frequency distribution analysis of the plant height phenotypic data showed that the absolute values ​​of skewness and kurtosis of all populations in different environments were less than 1, which was consistent with the normal distribution characteristics (Table 2 and Figure 2 ), meeting the prerequisite for quantitative trait genetic analysis. The broad-sense heritability of plant height in populations 1 to 5 was 97.9%, 96.9%, 98.3%, 97.5%, and 96.2%, respectively. Pearson correlation analysis (significance level p < 0.05) showed that there was a highly significant positive correlation (0.94-0.97) between the plant heights of RILs in the same population in three different environments ( Figure 2 ), indicating that maize plant height is mainly regulated by genetic factors and is less affected by the environment.

[0035] Table 2 Descriptive statistical analysis of plant height in multi-parent populations

[0036] Note: 21 Jinghong, 22 Yanshan and 23 Yanshan represent the tests conducted in Jinghong in 2021 and in Yanshan in 2022 and 2023 respectively. 2 : Broad-sense heritability.

[0037] Example 2 SNPs density distribution, phylogenetic tree analysis, principal component analysis (PCA) and linkage disequilibrium analysis DNA extraction and genome sequencing Genomic DNA was first extracted from young leaves of F8 RIL maize using the cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) method. DNA purity was assessed using a nanophotometer (IMPLEN, CA, USA), and DNA concentration was measured using the Qubit™ DNA Assay Kit and the Qubit 2.0 Fluorometer (Life Technologies, Grand Island, NY, USA). For library preparation, 1.5 µg of high-quality DNA was processed per sample using the TruSeq Nano DNA HT Sample Preparation Kit (Illumina, USA). DNA was fragmented to an average size of 350 bp by sonication, followed by end-repair, 3′-end adenylation, and Illumina adapter ligation. Adapter-ligated DNA was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the resulting library was purified using the AMPure XP system. Library fragment size distribution was verified using an Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer and quantified by qT-PCR. Sequencing was performed on the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform, generating 150 bp paired-end reads with an insert length of 350 bp. Raw sequencing data were quality-controlled (QC) and filtered. Clean reads were aligned to the reference genome B73 (RefGen_v5) using BWA (Burrows-Wheeler Aligner) software to identify all genetic variants across the genome. SNPs were called using the Genome Analysis Toolkit software, and SNPs were filtered using PLINK v1.9 with the parameters -geno 0.2 and -maf 0.05. SNPs with a missingness greater than 10% and a minimum allele frequency (MAF) less than 5% were removed. Finally, functional annotation of the identified SNPs was performed using ANNOVAR software.

[0038] Phylogenetic tree, PCA and linkage disequilibrium analysis The maximum parsimony (MP) method was used to calculate the distance matrix and construct the phylogenetic tree. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed using GCTA software and cluster analysis was performed using the GAPIT package in R software. PCA results were then visualized using scatter plots. The degree of linkage disequilibrium (r) between pairwise SNP markers across the genome was calculated using PopLDdecay software. 2 ), and the software's included script, Plot_OnePop.pl, was used to visualize the LD decay analysis results. Based on the LD decay pattern, the number of markers required for GWAS and its detection efficiency were further evaluated.

[0039] Experimental results: The whole genome of maize was scanned using WGS technology, and a total of 6,389,682 high-quality SNPs were identified on 10 chromosomes. The SNP marker density heat map showed that the number of SNPs on chromosomes 1-10 was 891,814, 699,810, 717,023, 880,707, 669,104, 485,237, 564,060, 545,295, 473,708, and 462,924, respectively. Among them, the number of SNPs on chromosome 1 was the largest, while the number of SNPs on chromosome 10 was the smallest ( Figure 3 A). Phylogenetic analysis showed that the phylogenetic tree constructed using the neighbor-joining method can be divided into five significantly different subpopulations ( Figure 3 B). The PCA results are highly consistent with the phylogenetic classification, with five distinct subgroups ( Figure 3 C). 6,389,682 high-quality SNPs were used for LD decay analysis. It was found that when r 2 When the plateau threshold is reduced to 0.3, the physical distance of LD decay is about 20 kb ( Figure 3 Based on this feature, the present invention screened candidate genes within 20 kb upstream and downstream of the significant SNPs. The above results indicate that genome-wide association analysis can be further performed.

[0040] Example 3 Genome-wide association analysis After sequencing on the Illumina NovaSeq6000, the BAM files were processed and then a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of PH was performed using a mixed linear model (MLM) in the GEMMA software. In the GWAS analysis, individual kinship and population stratification are the main factors causing false positives. Therefore, this study used MLM for marker-trait association analysis, using population genetic structure as a fixed effect and individual kinship as a random effect to correct for the effects of population structure and individual kinship. The minor allele frequency (MAF) > 5% and r 2SNPs associated with PH were screened using a plink-indep-pairwise parameter of 5050.2. A statistical significance threshold of -log10(p) > 6 was calculated using the formula -log10(1 / total number of SNPs). SNPs significantly associated with PH were identified based on this threshold. Quantile-quantile (QQ) and Manhattan plots were then generated using R software (v4.3.3). Significant SNPs were screened using Bed Tools v1.7. Furthermore, candidate genes associated with PH were identified within 20 kb upstream and downstream of the significant SNPs based on the B73 v5 reference genome and annotation information.

[0041] Results: A GWAS analysis was conducted using a mixed linear model (MLM) based on phenotypic data from 917 F8 RILs and 6,389,682 high-quality SNPs from a multi-parent population. Several SNPs were identified that were significantly associated with pH at a significance threshold of -log10 (p) > 6. SNPs 1-206,628,704 were detected across all environments (21 Jinghong, 22 Yanshan, 23 Yanshan, and BLUP). SNPs 1-206,628,704 had high p-values ​​ranging from 6.67 to 8.07, and PVE (phenotypic variance explained) ranged from 2.31% to 3.57%. This SNP provides important clues for further identification of candidate genes regulating maize pH. SNP1-206,628,704 indicates the SNP is located at base position 206,628,704 on chromosome 1 in the maize reference genome (B73 RefGen_v5).

[0042] Example 4 Identification and functional annotation of candidate genes Based on GWAS analysis and LD attenuation results, SNPs significantly associated with PH were identified. The BLAST function in Maize GDB was used to locate the physical position of SNPs. Candidate genes were mined within 20 kb upstream and downstream of the significant SNPs. The functional annotation of the selected candidate genes was performed using the NCBI, Maize GDB, Inter Pro and UniProt databases, thereby screening SNP sites and candidate genes significantly associated with maize PH.

[0043] Experimental results: This study used B73 - RefGen -The v5 reference genome was used to screen candidate genes regulating maize pH within 20 kb upstream and downstream of the significant SNP 1-206,628,704, and functional annotation of the candidate genes was performed using databases such as Maize GDB, InterPro, UniProt, and NCBI. The present invention identified the candidate functional gene Zm00001eb038700 on chromosome 1. The gene Zm00001eb038700 is located 3801 bp upstream of SNP 1-206,628,704 ( Figure 5 C), the sequence of the gene Zm00001eb038700 is shown in SEQ ID NO: 1. The Zm00001eb038700 gene encodes a conserved C2H2-type zinc finger protein Bud20. Zinc finger proteins are a superfamily of proteins with a typical zinc ion binding domain that can specifically recognize and bind nucleic acids, playing an important regulatory role in plant growth, development, and environmental adaptation.

[0044] Example 5 Haplotype Analysis of Candidate Gene Zm00001eb038700 Haplotype analysis of the selected candidate genes was performed using Haploview V4.2. Significant haplotype blocks were identified based on LD analysis, and the plant height phenotypic data corresponding to each haplotype of the candidate gene were grouped and compared. Haplotype-phenotype association boxplots were created using the ggplot2 package in R software (V4.3.3), and the significance of phenotypic differences between different haplotypes was assessed.

[0045] Experimental results: Haplotype analysis was performed on the candidate gene Zm00001eb038700 identified by GWAS analysis in different environments ( Figure 5 The bases at positions 206615938, 206615941, 206616123, 206616156, 206616181, 206616210, 206617611, 206617660, 206617686, and 206617726 of the Zm00001eb038700 gene showed five haplotypes ( Figure 5 A): Hap1: ACTGGCTTGG; Hap2: ACCGGCCCTG; Hap3:GCCGATCCTG; Hap4: ATCTACCCGG; Hap5: ATCTACCCGA. Among them, the plant height of the families with Hap4 was significantly higher than that of the families with other haplotypes ( Figure 5B), which is therefore considered to be the favorable haplotype of the Zm00001eb038700 gene.

[0046] Example 6 Relative expression analysis of candidate gene Zm00001eb038700 in parents The present invention samples were taken from the middle of the seventh internode of five parental lines at four developmental stages: the 8-leaf stage (V8), the rapid growth stage (V14), the tasseling stage (VT), and the milky stage (R3). Figure 6 A). Total RNA was extracted using the Tiangen RNAprep Pure plant Kit, and genomic DNA was removed and cDNA was synthesized using the FastKing RT Kit (With gDNase). The relative expression levels of four candidate genes in five parental lines were determined by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) using the Tiangen SuperReal PreMix Plus (SYBR Green) Kit (Tiangen, Beijing). The maize actin 1 gene (Actin) was used as an internal reference gene. The qRT-PCR procedures and systems were strictly followed by the standardized procedures used by Bi et al. Three technical replicates were set for each sample, and the Methods The relative expression of genes was calculated.

[0047] Experimental results: To investigate the regulatory effect of the candidate gene Zm00001eb038700 on maize pH, qRT-PCR was used to analyze the expression patterns of five parental lines at four different maize developmental stages. Internode length measurements showed that internode length in parent NK40-1 was the longest at all stages, while that in parent Ye107 remained the shortest ( Figure 6 A). Therefore, the present invention uses the dwarf parent Ye 107 as a reference system. The analysis results show that the expression level of gene Zm00001eb038700 in parents YML 32, CML171, TML418 and NK40-1 increased significantly from V8 to V14, and V14 is the most critical period for stem growth and development. In addition, the relative expression level of gene Zm00001eb038700 in NK40-1 and CML171 was significantly higher than that in YML32 and TML418 ( Figure 6 B). This expression pattern is consistent with the size distribution trend of plant height phenotypes in NK40-1 and CML171, indicating that gene Zm00001eb038700 may have a positive regulatory effect on maize plant height.

[0048] The amino acid sequence of the protein encoded by the Zm00001eb038700 gene is shown in SEQ ID NO: 2. The protein encodes a conserved C2H2-type zinc finger protein Bud20. Zinc finger proteins are a superfamily of proteins with a typical zinc ion binding domain that can specifically recognize and bind to nucleic acids. They may also directly or indirectly regulate auxin synthesis, transport, or signal transduction, thereby affecting the distribution and accumulation of auxin in the stem, and further regulating internode elongation and plant height.

[0049] Although the above embodiment provides a detailed description of the present invention, it is only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. People can also obtain other embodiments based on this embodiment without creativity, and these embodiments all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A Zm00001eb038700 gene for regulating corn plant height, characterized in that: The nucleotide sequence of the Zm00001eb038700 gene is shown in SEQ ID NO: 1, and its expression level is positively correlated with corn plant height.

2. A protein for regulating corn plant height, characterized in that: The protein is encoded by the gene according to claim 1, and the amino acid sequence of the protein is shown in SEQ ID NO:

2.

3. A molecular marker for detecting plant height traits in maize, characterized in that: The molecular marker SNP1-206,628,704 site is located 3801bp downstream of the gene described in claim 1; when the genotype of the SNP1-206,628,704 site is CC, the corn exhibits a short stalk trait; when the genotype changes to AA, the corn exhibits a tall stalk advantage trait.

4. A product for detecting the molecular marker according to claim 3, characterized in that The products include reagents, kits or gene chips.

5. The product for detecting the molecular marker according to claim 4, characterized in that The products include those prepared using PCR, qPCR, Sanger sequencing, high-throughput sequencing, fluorescence in situ hybridization, TaqMan probe method, ARMS-PCR method or KASP method.

6. Use of the gene according to claim 1, the protein according to claim 2 or the molecular marker according to claim 3, characterized in that: The application includes any of the following: a) Evaluation of genetic diversity of maize plant height based on haplotype analysis of SNP1-206,628,704 loci; b) Construction of a molecular genetic map integrating SNP1-206, 628, 704 and / or Zm00001eb038700 gene expression; c) Genome-wide association analysis of maize plant height using SNP1-206,628,704 and its linked markers; d) Identify dwarf corn varieties by detecting the genotypes of SNP1-206, 628, 704 and / or the haplotypes of the Zm00001eb038700 gene; e) Molecular marker-assisted selection breeding based on SNP1-206,628,704 loci and / or associated haplotypes; f) Plant height breeding for maize using SNP1-206,628,704 as genomic selection markers; g) Gene editing breeding that targets editing of SNP1-206, 628, 704 sites and / or regulates the expression of the Zm00001eb038700 gene.

7. A method for regulating corn plant height, characterized in that: The gene editing target is changed by gene editing technology, and the gene editing target site is selected from: SNP1-206,628,704 sites, Zm00001eb038700 gene promoter region or Zm00001eb038700 gene coding region.

8. A method for polymer breeding of corn plants, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: (1) Detect the genotype of SNP1-206, 628, and 704 in the corn sample to be tested; (2) Detect the expression level of Zm00001eb038700 gene; (3) Combine SNP genotype and gene expression data to screen maize varieties with target plant height traits.

9. A corn plant height prediction model, characterized in that: A multiple linear regression equation was established based on the expression level of the Zm00001eb038700 gene and the genotypes of SNP1-206, 628, and 704 loci to predict the plant height phenotype of maize.

Images