为了最大程度的提高生殖成功率和种子的产量，植物必须通过感知内外环境的变化来决定开花的最佳时机。在非诱导的短日照条件下，植物开花的时间主要受到年龄途径和赤霉素信号的调控。在之前的研究中，我们发现WRKY12在短日照条件下参与调控赤霉素介导的植物开花过程。在本项目中，我们发现WRKY12的表达水平受到了年龄途径的调控。为了深入的研究WRKY12在年龄途径中的功能，我们通过酵母双杂交系统筛选了WRKY12的互作蛋白。有趣的是，我们的筛选结果中出现了年龄途径上的转录调控因子SPL蛋白。这些结果说明WRKY12参与了年龄介导的植物开花调控。在前期工作的基础上，本项目将系统地研究受年龄调控的WRKY12在植物开花过程中的生物学功能，阐明WRKY12调控SPL及其靶基因的信号通路，揭示WRKY12、SPL及DELLA蛋白之间的调控关系，从而完善WRKY12调控植物在短日照条件下开花的信号网络。

To maximize reproductive success and seed production, plants determine the most appropriate time to flower by monitoring internal and external environment changes. Under non-inductive short-day (SD) conditions, the flowering of plants is mainly regulated by age pathway and gibberellins (GA) pathway. In a previous study, we found that WRKY12 and WRKY13 are involved in GA-mediated flowering time control under SD conditions. Recently, we found that the expression of WRKY12 is dependent on the age pathway. To further understand how WRKY12 regulates flowering，we employed the yeast two-hybrid system to identify its potentially interacting partners. After screening, SPL transcription factors were found to physically interact with WRKY12. These results indicated that WRKY12 involved in the regulation of age-mediated flowering. In this project, we will undertake a genetic and molecular approach to further clarify the role of WRKY12 in flowering time control and investigate the regulatory relationships between WRKY12 and its interacting partners (SPL and DELLA), and finally explore the molecular mechanisms underlying the involvement of WRKY12 in the GA and age–mediated flowering pathway.