Key Laboratory of Tea Biology and Resources Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China/ National Center for Tea Improvement/Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China.
Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (IBMCP), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain.
Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Dec 11;23(24):15711. doi: 10.3390/ijms232415711.
Flowering and bud dormancy are crucial stages in the life cycle of perennial angiosperms in temperate climates. MADS-box family genes are involved in many plant growth and development processes. Here, we identified three genes in tea plant belonging to the family. We monitored transcription throughout the year and found that was expressed at a higher level during the winter bud dormancy and flowering phases. To clarify the function of , we developed transgenic plants heterologously expressing . These lines bolted and bloomed earlier than the WT (Col-0), and the seed germination rate was inversely proportional to the increased expression level. The RNA-seq of transgenic showed that many genes responding to ageing, flower development and leaf senescence were affected, and phytohormone-related pathways were especially enriched. According to the results of hormone content detection and RNA transcript level analysis, controls flowering time possibly by regulating , , and and hormone signaling, accumulation and metabolism. This is the first time a study has identified genes and characterized in tea plant. Our results suggest that might play dual roles in flowering and winter bud dormancy and provide new insight into the molecular mechanisms of in tea plants as well as other plant species.
开花和芽休眠是温带多年生被子植物生命周期中的关键阶段。MADS 框家族基因参与许多植物生长和发育过程。在这里，我们鉴定了茶树中属于 家族的三个 基因。我们全年监测 转录水平，发现其在冬季芽休眠和开花阶段表达水平更高。为了阐明 的功能，我们开发了异源表达 的转基因 植株。这些株系比 WT（Col-0）更早抽薹和开花，种子发芽率与 表达水平的增加呈反比。转基因 的 RNA-seq 分析表明，许多响应衰老、花发育和叶片衰老的基因受到影响，植物激素相关途径特别丰富。根据激素含量检测和 RNA 转录水平分析的结果， 可能通过调节 、 、 和激素信号、积累和代谢来控制开花时间。这是首次在茶树中鉴定出 基因并对 进行了特征描述。我们的研究结果表明， 可能在开花和冬季芽休眠中发挥双重作用，为茶树以及其他植物物种中 的分子机制提供了新的见解。
