Huang Shihang, Li Fang, Li Caiqin, Li Xiaobei, Pan Qiuling, Li Yongquan, Song Wenpei, Li Juan
College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
PLoS One. 2025 May 23;20(5):e0324651. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0324651. eCollection 2025.
Camellia oleifera, a vital woody oil crop in China, suffers substantial yield losses due to frequent physiological fruit abscission during cultivation. Ethylene signaling, mediated by Ethylene-Insensitive3/Ethylene-Insensitive 3-like (EIN3/EIL) transcription factors encoded by a multigene family, plays a pivotal role in plant organ abscission. However, the EIN3/EIL family remains understudied in C. oleifera. Here, genome-wide analysis identified four CoEIL genes encoding proteins with conserved EIN3 domains. Phylogenetic classification grouped these proteins into Group A and Group B, revealing evolutionary proximity between C. oleifera and tea (Camellia sinensis). Cis-acting regulatory element analysis implicated CoEIL genes in hormone responsiveness and stress adaptation. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis was performed to investigate the expression patterns of these CoEIL genes in the fruit abscission zone following ethephon and brassinolide treatments. This study elucidates the genetic architecture and functional divergence of CoEIL genes, laying the foundation for exploring molecular mechanisms of abscission in C. oleifera.
油茶是中国重要的木本油料作物，在栽培过程中，由于频繁的生理性落果，导致产量大幅损失。乙烯信号转导由一个多基因家族编码的乙烯不敏感3/乙烯不敏感3样（EIN3/EIL）转录因子介导，在植物器官脱落中起关键作用。然而，油茶中EIN3/EIL家族仍未得到充分研究。在此，全基因组分析鉴定出四个编码具有保守EIN3结构域蛋白质的CoEIL基因。系统发育分类将这些蛋白质分为A组和B组，揭示了油茶与茶树（Camellia sinensis）之间的进化亲缘关系。顺式作用调控元件分析表明CoEIL基因与激素反应和胁迫适应有关。进行了定量实时PCR分析，以研究这些CoEIL基因在乙烯利和油菜素内酯处理后果实脱落区的表达模式。本研究阐明了CoEIL基因的遗传结构和功能差异，为探索油茶脱落的分子机制奠定了基础。
