Xu Yue, Wu Zhiqing, Gao Yugang, Zang Pu, Yang Xinyu, Zhao Yan, Liu Qun
Laboratory of Medicinal Plant Cultivation and Breeding, National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, College of Chinese Medicinal Materials, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China.
Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China.
Plants (Basel). 2025 May 31;14(11):1684. doi: 10.3390/plants14111684.
The degeneration of germplasm is a key factor limiting the yield and quality of Blume. Sexual reproduction is a primary method to address this degeneration, while the number of flowers and capsules is directly related to sexual reproduction. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying the high flower/fruit-bearing traits in remain unclear. We first compared the quantitative and qualitative traits during the flowering to fruiting period of , including bolting height, flowering quantity, flowering time, fruiting quantity, capsule spacing, seed quality, etc. The natural materials were selected by multi-capsule and few-capsule for transcriptome analysis to screen the differentially expressed genes (DEGs); the candidate gene was suspected to regulate the formation of multiple flowers and fruits. It was confirmed that GePIF4 has multiple biological functions in the overexpression of transgenic lines, including increasing numbers of vegetative propagation corms (VPCs) and promoting the growth of . Through comparative transcriptomic analysis of EV and OE-GePIF4 transgenic lines, the transcriptional regulatory network of GePIF4 was identified, and transient expression of GePIF4 was demonstrated to significantly promote gastrodin accumulation. The dual-LUC assay and in vitro yeast one hybrid results showed that GePIF4 could directly bind to GeRAX2 to regulate multi-capsule formation, and GePIF4 could directly bind to GeC4H1 to promote gastrodin accumulation. Therefore, we elucidate the role of GePIF4 in multi-capsule formation and secondary metabolite accumulation, thereby laying the groundwork for the genetic improvement of germplasm resources.
种质退化是限制天麻产量和品质的关键因素。有性繁殖是解决这种退化的主要方法，而花和蒴果的数量与有性繁殖直接相关。然而，天麻高花/果性状的遗传机制仍不清楚。我们首先比较了天麻从开花到结果期的数量性状和质量性状，包括抽薹高度、开花数量、开花时间、结果数量、蒴果间距、种子质量等。通过多蒴果和少蒴果选择天然材料进行转录组分析，以筛选差异表达基因（DEGs）；候选基因被怀疑调控多花多果的形成。证实了GePIF4在转基因系过表达中具有多种生物学功能，包括增加营养繁殖球茎（VPCs）数量和促进天麻生长。通过对EV和OE-GePIF4转基因系的比较转录组分析，确定了GePIF4的转录调控网络，并证明GePIF4的瞬时表达显著促进天麻素积累。双荧光素酶报告基因检测和体外酵母单杂交结果表明，GePIF4可直接与GeRAX2结合以调控多蒴果形成，且GePIF4可直接与GeC4H1结合以促进天麻素积累。因此，我们阐明了GePIF4在多蒴果形成和次生代谢产物积累中的作用，从而为天麻种质资源的遗传改良奠定了基础。
