United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Appalachian Fruit Research Station, Kearneysville, West Virginia, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2012;7(7):e40715. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0040715. Epub 2012 Jul 30.
The Flowering Locus T1 (FT1) gene from Populus trichocarpa under the control of the 35S promoter was transformed into European plum (Prunus domestica L). Transgenic plants expressing higher levels of FT flowered and produced fruits in the greenhouse within 1 to 10 months. FT plums did not enter dormancy after cold or short day treatments yet field planted FT plums remained winter hardy down to at least -10°C. The plants also displayed pleiotropic phenotypes atypical for plum including shrub-type growth habit and panicle flower architecture. The flowering and fruiting phenotype was found to be continuous in the greenhouse but limited to spring and fall in the field. The pattern of flowering in the field correlated with lower daily temperatures. This apparent temperature effect was subsequently confirmed in growth chamber studies. The pleitropic phenotypes associated with FT1 expression in plum suggests a fundamental role of this gene in plant growth and development. This study demonstrates the potential for a single transgene event to markedly affect the vegetative and reproductive growth and development of an economically important temperate woody perennial crop. We suggest that FT1 may be a useful tool to modify temperate plants to changing climates and/or to adapt these crops to new growing areas.
毛白杨开花素 T1（FT1）基因在 35S 启动子的控制下被转化到欧洲李（Prunus domestica L）中。表达更高水平 FT 的转基因植物在温室中 1 到 10 个月内开花并结果。FT 李在经过冷或短日照处理后不会进入休眠，但田间种植的 FT 李在至少-10°C 下仍能抗寒。这些植物还表现出典型李树的多效表型，包括灌木型生长习性和总状花序花结构。在温室中发现开花和结实表型是连续的，但在田间仅限于春季和秋季。田间开花模式与较低的日温相关。这一明显的温度效应随后在生长室研究中得到了证实。FT1 在李树中的表达与多效表型相关，表明该基因在植物生长和发育中起着重要作用。本研究证明了单个转基因事件对经济上重要的温带木本多年生作物的营养和生殖生长发育具有显著影响。我们认为 FT1 可能是一种有用的工具，可以改变温带植物以适应气候变化，或使这些作物适应新的生长区域。
