Chlorophyll Reductase Gene Participates in Chlorophyll Degradation and Photosynthesis.

The degradation of chlorophyll is of great significance to plant growth. The chlorophyll reductase NOL (NYC1-like) is in charge of catalyzing the degradation of chlorophyll and maintaining the stability of the photosystem. However, the molecular mechanisms of NOL-mediated chlorophyll degradation, senescence, and photosynthesis and its functions in other metabolic pathways remain unclear, especially in warm-season turfgrass. In this study, was cloned from . It is highly expressed in senescent leaves. Subcellular localization investigation showed ZjNOL is localized in the chloroplast and the bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) results proved ZjNOL interacts with ZjNYC1 . promoted the accumulation of abscisic acid (ABA) and carbohydrates, and the increase of at the transcriptional level. simultaneously led to the excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), the activation of antioxidant enzymes, and the generation of oxidative stress, which in turn accelerated senescence. Chlorophyll fluorescence assay (JIP-test) analysis showed that inhibited photosynthetic efficiency mainly through damage to the oxygen-evolving complex. In total, these results suggest that promotes chlorophyll degradation and senescence and negatively affects the integrity and functionality of the photosystem. It could be a valuable candidate gene for genome editing to cultivate germplasm with prolonged green period and improved photosynthesis efficiency.