Huang Qiaoyu, Chen Xiaoxuan, Zhong Shuyun, Wu Shuangzhe, Guo Junhong, Wang Qiyao, Li Jiahe, Li Danqing, Xia Yiping, Zhang Jiaping, Wang Xiaobin
Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory for Postharvest Storage and Preservation of Fruits & Vegetables, College of Agronomy, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China.
College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
Plants (Basel). 2025 Mar 15;14(6):928. doi: 10.3390/plants14060928.
The MIKC-type MADS-box (MIKC) gene family is essential for controlling various plant developmental processes, including flowering time and dormancy transitions. Although the MIKC gene family has been widely studied across different plants, its characterization and functional study in herbaceous peony remain limited. In this study, 19 Pall. MIKC-type (PlMIKC) genes were identified from the transcriptome of a low-chilling requirement Pall. cultivar 'Hang Baishao'. These MIKC genes were categorized into seven clades: six were classified as MIKC-type, including FUL/AP1, DAM, PI, AGL18, AGL12, AG, and SOC1, and one, AGL30, was classified as MIKC*-type. Notably, the FLC clade genes were absent in Pall. The PlMIKC genes were predominantly localized to the nucleus, and their sequences contained highly conserved MADS and K-domains. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that PlMIKC genes share a strong evolutionary affinity with the MIKC genes from grapevine () and poplar (). A low-temperature-induced bud dormancy transition (BDT) experiment revealed that PlMIKC genes, such as and , were highly expressed during dormancy maintenance, while , , and were upregulated during BDT. Additionally, the transient overexpression of in 'Hang Baishao' significantly accelerated BDT and promoted bud break, suggesting that , traditionally linked to flowering regulation, also plays a key role in dormancy transition. Since limited literature on the MIKC gene family is currently available in herbaceous peony, this study expands the knowledge of the MIKC genes in Pall. and offers valuable insights into the molecular regulation of bud dormancy in response to low temperatures.
MIKC型MADS-box（MIKC）基因家族对于控制各种植物发育过程至关重要，包括开花时间和休眠转变。尽管MIKC基因家族已在不同植物中得到广泛研究，但其在芍药中的特征和功能研究仍然有限。在本研究中，从低温需求品种‘杭白芍’的转录组中鉴定出19个芍药MIKC型（PlMIKC）基因。这些MIKC基因被分为七个进化枝：六个被归类为MIKC型，包括FUL/AP1、DAM、PI、AGL18、AGL12、AG和SOC1，一个AGL30被归类为MIKC*型。值得注意的是，芍药中不存在FLC进化枝基因。PlMIKC基因主要定位于细胞核，其序列包含高度保守的MADS和K结构域。系统发育分析表明，PlMIKC基因与葡萄和杨树的MIKC基因具有很强的进化亲和力。低温诱导的芽休眠转变（BDT）实验表明，PlMIKC基因，如和，在休眠维持期间高度表达，而、和在BDT期间上调。此外，在‘杭白芍’中瞬时过表达显著加速了BDT并促进了芽萌发，表明传统上与开花调控相关的也在休眠转变中起关键作用。由于目前关于芍药MIKC基因家族的文献有限，本研究扩展了对芍药中MIKC基因的认识，并为低温响应下芽休眠的分子调控提供了有价值的见解。
