Hao Xinyuan, Tang Junwei, Chen Yao, Huang Chao, Zhang Weifu, Liu Ying, Yue Chuan, Wang Lu, Ding Changqing, Dai Wenhao, Yang Yajun, Horvath David P, Wang Xinchao
Key Laboratory of Biology, Genetics and Breeding of Special Economic Animals and Plants, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/National Center for Tea Plant Improvement, Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, College of Food Science, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
Plant J. 2025 Jan;121(1):e17165. doi: 10.1111/tpj.17165. Epub 2024 Dec 2.
Tea plants are perennial evergreen woody crops that originated in low latitudes but have spread to high latitudes. Bud dormancy is an important adaptation mechanism to low temperatures, and its timing is economically significant for tea production. However, the core molecular networks regulating dormancy and bud break in tea plants remain unclear. In the present study, a MADS-box transcription factor CsMADS27 was identified in tea plants. Gene and phenotype characterizations following ectopic overexpression and endogenous silencing experiments are consistent with a role for CsMADS27 in dormancy and sprouting in different tea cultivars. Furthermore, CsDJC23 was found to be a downstream target of CsMADS27 and implicated in bud sprouting. Based on yeast one-hybrid screening and comprehensive verification, CsCBF1 and CsZHD9 were identified as upstream transcriptional inhibitors and activators of CsMADS27, respectively, with the two proteins showing direct interactions and competitive binding effects. Histone acetylation (H3K27Ac) in the first exon and intron regions of CsMADS27 was associated with a positive role in CsMADS27 expression. These results revealed that CsMADS27 is a key transcription factor involved in the regulation of dormancy and bud break. Furthermore, the CsCBF1/CsZHD9-CsMADS27 module plays a critical role in sensing environmental factors and accurately regulating the growth and development of overwintering buds in tea plants.
茶树是多年生常绿木本作物，原产于低纬度地区，但已传播至高纬度地区。芽休眠是对低温的一种重要适应机制，其时间安排对茶叶生产具有重要经济意义。然而，调控茶树休眠和芽萌发的核心分子网络仍不清楚。在本研究中，在茶树中鉴定出一个MADS盒转录因子CsMADS27。异位过表达和内源沉默实验后的基因和表型特征表明，CsMADS27在不同茶树品种的休眠和萌发中发挥作用。此外，发现CsDJC23是CsMADS27的下游靶点，并与芽萌发有关。基于酵母单杂交筛选和综合验证，分别鉴定出CsCBF1和CsZHD9为CsMADS27的上游转录抑制因子和激活因子，这两种蛋白表现出直接相互作用和竞争结合效应。CsMADS27第一个外显子和内含子区域的组蛋白乙酰化（H3K27Ac）与CsMADS27表达的正向作用相关。这些结果表明，CsMADS27是参与调控休眠和芽萌发的关键转录因子。此外，CsCBF1/CsZHD9-CsMADS27模块在感知环境因素和精确调控茶树越冬芽的生长发育中起关键作用。
