Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41848283›Full record

ArticlePlant biotechnology journal2026

The ZmCOP1s-ZmCOL3 Module Enhances Late Flowering, Grain Yield and Grain Quality in Maize.

Shuling Yang, Yanpei Zhang, Lianhua Cui, Weimin Zhan, Shizhan Chen, Yu Zhang, Haolei Han, Linhu Song, Longchao Du, Kangni Zhang and 6 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Plant biotechnology journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

Shuling YangState Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China.
Yanpei ZhangState Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4243-0992
Lianhua CuiState Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China.
Weimin ZhanState Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China.
Shizhan ChenState Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0232-6587
Yu ZhangState Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China.
Haolei HanState Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China.
Linhu SongState Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China.
Longchao DuState Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China.
Kangni ZhangState Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China.
Huan LiuState Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China.
Shaoci WangState Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2586-3171
Yong ShiState Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China.
Jihua TangState Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China.
Xiangguo LiuInstitute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences (Northeast Innovation Center of Agricultural Science and Technology in China), Changchun, China.
Jianping YangState Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China.

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China U23A20186the Lhasa Regional Science and Technology Collaborative Innovation Project in 2022 QYXTZX-LS2022-01the Science and Technology Plan Project of Lhasa City LSKJ202551the Science and Technology Plan Project of Tibet Plateau Seed Industry Breeding Technology Innovation Center LSQSCNYQ2025007the Science and Technology Project of Xizang Autonomous Region of China XZ202401ZY0072the Science and Technology Project of Xizang Autonomous Region of China XZ202401ZY0103
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Flowering time is a key determinant of yield and regional adaptation in crops and is largely controlled by light signalling. In this study, we identified two maize orthologs of Arabidopsis CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC 1 (COP1), designated ZmCOP1a and ZmCOP1b, which activate light signalling and reduce plant height. Loss-of-function mutants of ZmCOP1a and ZmCOP1b flowered early, whereas overexpression of either gene significantly delayed flowering under both long- and short-day conditions. Mechanistically, both ZmCOP1a and ZmCOP1b interacted with and stabilised the C2C2-CO-like transcription factor ZmCOL3. Together, they upregulated key repressors of flowering (ZmPRR37, ZmPRR95, ZmCCA1 and ZmCCT9), leading to suppression of florigen genes (ZCN7, ZCN8 and ZCN12) and floral meristem identity genes (ZMM3, ZMM4 and ZMM15). Field trials demonstrated that overexpression of ZmCOP1a or ZmCOP1b reduced starch content but increased protein levels, kernel numbers and kernel length, width and weight. In contrast, overexpression of ZmCOL3 decreased both starch and protein content. Collectively, our results demonstrate that the ZmCOP1s-ZmCOL3 module is a key regulator of flowering time and source-sink reallocation, providing valuable genetic targets for breeding high-yield, high-quality maize with optimised flowering time and enhanced carbon and nitrogen allocation.

Indexed as

Edible GrainFlowersPlant ProteinsZea maysGene Expression Regulation, PlantPlants, Genetically ModifiedSeedsTranscription FactorsPlant ProteinsTranscription Factorsflowering timegrain yieldnutritional qualityZea maysZmCOP1s‐ZmCOL3 module

Identifiers

PMID41848283
PMCPMC13205590

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.