WRKY Transcription Factors in : An Insight into the Regulation of Aroma Synthesis.

WRKY transcription factors are one of the largest families of transcription regulators that play essential roles in regulating the synthesis of secondary metabolites in plants. Jasmine (), renowned for its aromatic nature and fragrant blossoms, possesses a significant abundance of volatile terpene compounds. However, the role of the family in terpene synthesis in jasmine remains undetermined. In this study, 72 family genes of were identified with their conserved WRKY domains and were categorized into three main groups based on their structural and phylogenetic characteristics. The extensive segmental duplications contributed to the expansion of the gene family. Expression profiles derived from the transcriptome data and qRT-PCR analysis showed that the majority of genes were significantly upregulated in fully bloomed flowers compared to buds. Furthermore, multiple correlation analyses revealed that the expression patterns of s (/////) were correlated with both distinct terpene compounds (monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes). Notably, the majority of jasmine terpene synthase () genes related to terpene synthesis and containing W-box elements exhibited a significant correlation with s, particularly with , displaying a strong positive correlation. A subcellular localization analysis showed that JsWRKY51 was localized in the nucleus. Moreover, transgenic tobacco leaves and jasmine calli experiments demonstrated that overexpression of was a key factor in enhancing the accumulation of β-ocimene, which is an important aromatic terpene component. Collectively, our findings suggest the roles of and other s in regulating the synthesis of aromatic compounds in , providing a foundation for the potential utilization of s to facilitate the breeding of fragrant plant varieties with an improved aroma.