Vernalization-mediated epigenetic silencing by a long intronic noncoding RNA

Vernalization is an environmentally-induced epigenetic switch in which winter cold triggers epigenetic silencing of floral repressors and thus provides competence to flower in spring. In Arabidopsis, winter cold triggers enrichment of tri-methylated histone H3 Lys(27) at chromatin of the floral repressor, FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC), and results in epigenetically stable repression of FLC. This epigenetic change is mediated by an evolutionarily conserved repressive complex, polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2). Here, we show that a long intronic noncoding RNA [termed COLD ASSISTED INTRONIC NONCODING RNA (COLDAIR)] is required for the vernalization-mediated epigenetic repression of FLC. COLDAIR physically associates with a component of PRC2 and targets PRC2 to FLC. Our results show that COLDAIR is required for establishing stable repressive chromatin at FLC through its interaction with PRC2.     

Nitric oxide represses the Arabidopsis floral transition

The correct timing of flowering is essential for plants to maximize reproductive success and is controlled by environmental and endogenous signals. We report that nitric oxide (NO) repressed the floral transition in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plants treated with NO, as well as a mutant overproducing NO (nox1), flowered late, whereas a mutant producing less NO (nos1) flowered early. NO suppressed CONSTANS and GIGANTEA gene expression and enhanced FLOWERING LOCUS C expression, which indicated that NO regulates the photoperiod and autonomous pathways. Because NO is induced by environmental stimuli and constitutively produced, it may integrate both external and internal cues into the floral decision.     

墨兰FT同源基因的时空表达及功能分析

FLOWERING LOCUS T(FT)基因是植物开花调控途径的整合基因,整合来自光周期途径、春化途径和自主途径等不同花发育途径的信号,在植物花发育中发挥着重要作用。从墨兰品种‘企剑黑墨’中克隆了新的FT同源基因,并对其各组织部位的表达特性和生物学功能进行了分析。结果表明,墨兰FT基因c DNA全长序列为618bp,其中开放阅读框为531 bp,编码176个氨基酸。其氨基酸序列与拟南芥、水稻中FT基因的氨基酸序列有较高的同源性。墨兰FT同源基因在‘企剑黑墨’各器官中均有表达,营养生长期FT基因在腋芽中的表达量最高,生殖生长期FT基因在腋芽,花梗,花蕾等器官中的表达量较高,在根和叶中的表达量最低。在拟南芥中超表达墨兰FT同源基因,能显著促进拟南芥开花。     

水稻成花素Hd3a及其受体分子机制研究进展

成花素是有一个控制开花位点的基因FT(FLOWERING LOCUS T)编码的产物,成花素FT是植物开花途径中的关键整合因子。而水稻中的Hd3a(HEADING DATE 3a)是拟南芥FT的同源基因,Hd3a蛋白即是水稻中的成花激素,其在叶片中表达并通过微管组织运输到顶端分生组织,同成花素受体14-3-3蛋白结合,然后又附着到另一种转录因子OsFD1(FLOWERING LOCUS D)上形成成花素激活复合体,使开花基因OsMADS15功能活跃起来。文中对水稻成花素Hd3a及其受体14-3-3蛋白分子作用机制的研究进展进行了综述,为进一步研究植物开花分子生物学提供参考。     

Distinct roles of CONSTANS target genes in reproductive development of Arabidopsis

In plants, flowering is triggered by endogenous and environmental signals. CONSTANS (CO) promotes flowering of Arabidopsis in response to day length. Four early target genes of CO were identified using a steroid-inducible version of the protein. Two of these genes, SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CO 1 (SOC1) and FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT), are required for CO to promote flowering; the others are involved in proline or ethylene biosynthesis. The SOC1 and FT genes are also regulated by a second flowering-time pathway that acts independently of CO. Thus, early target genes of CO define common components of distinct flowering-time pathways.     

萝卜属抽薹开花相关基因FLC的预测及分析

以控制拟南芥春化途径的关键基因FLC全长CDS为参考序列,在萝卜属(Raphanus) EST数据库中进行BLASTN检索,得到具备Score≥100、E value≤10-10和coverage ≥70%条件的70条萝卜ESTs作为候选的拟南芥FLC基因的同源ESTs,并进行序列聚类拼接、注释及分析。结果显示: 在普通萝卜和野生萝卜中各发现两个旁系同源基因(RsFLCa和RsFLCb及RrFLCa和RrFLCb)。RFLCs与拟南芥FLC间在核酸水平上的一致性为787%～869%;RFLCs旁系同源基因间的一致性为759%～934%;RFLCs与芸薹属FLC直系同源基因间的一致性绝大多数维持在85%以上,且高于与拟南芥直系同源基因间的一致性。系统进化分析发现,与白菜、甘蓝及甘蓝型油菜中FLC多拷贝产生的机制可能类似,萝卜属FLC基因的多拷贝现象可能也是伴随萝卜基因组的多倍化而产生的。     

光周期诱导马铃薯块茎形成的分子机理研究进展

马铃薯块茎形成机理不仅是植物发育生物学研究的重要内容之一,也是提高马铃薯产量、品质的重要保障。早期研究发现,光周期是诱导马铃薯块茎形成的一个关键环境因子,短日照利于马铃薯块茎形成。近10多年来,光周期调控马铃薯块茎形成机理研究取得了重要进展。已有研究发现,马铃薯块茎形成与拟南芥等植物的开花过程有较多相似之处。大量参与植物开花的重要基因,如光敏色素、CONSTANS (CO)、FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT)、LOV蓝光受体蛋白家族及CDF转录因子等在马铃薯块茎形成过程中都起到重要的调控作用。此外,马铃薯中发现的同源异型框基因POTH1及其相互作用基因StBEL5也在光调控马铃薯块茎形成过程中扮演重要角色。本文主要从马铃薯光信号感知及与光周期信号传递有关的基因调控等领域综述了光周期诱导的马铃薯块茎形成最新研究进展。     

木本果树开花相关基因的研究进展

开花是植物从营养生长向生殖生长的转变过程。拟南芥中存在多条调控开花时间的信号途径如光周期途径、春化途径、赤霉素途径和自动途径等。与草本植物相比,木本植物成花调控研究进展较缓慢。本文综述了木本果树中开花综合基因,即综合不同成花调控途径信号的关键基因,如CO、FLC、SVP、FT、LFY、TFL、AP1、SOC1等的研究进展,以期为进一步探索木本植物成花的分子调控机制提供参考。     

Hd3a protein is a mobile flowering signal in rice

Florigen, the mobile signal that moves from an induced leaf to the shoot apex and causes flowering, has eluded identification since it was first proposed 70 years ago. Understanding the nature of the mobile flowering signal would provide a key insight into the molecular mechanism of floral induction. Recent studies suggest that the Arabidopsis FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) gene is a candidate for encoding florigen. We show that the protein encoded by Hd3a, a rice ortholog of FT, moves from the leaf to the shoot apical meristem and induces flowering in rice. These results suggest that the Hd3a protein may be the rice florigen.     

温度对植物开花时间调控的研究进展

开花是高等植物生长繁殖过程中重要的生理现象,是植物由营养生长进入生殖生长的标志。植物开花受多种内源和外源因素的调节,其中温度是影响植物开花的一个重要环境因素。总结了近期温度影响开花(主要包括春化途径和热感应途径)的研究进展,尤其对最近研究发现的FT及其家族基因和相关上游转录因子以及miRNA在植物响应温度变化影响开花过程中的功能进行了综述,有助于进一步了解温度参与植物开花调控的分子机制。     

CO/FT调节元件与植物开花时间调节研究进展

综述了CO/FT调节元件与植物开花时间调节的最新研究进展。开花是植物由营养生长向生殖生长转变的关键过程。光周期和温度在植物开花时间控制中起主要作用。在拟南芥和水稻中,CONSTANS（CO）对植物的日照长度测定至关重要,它与其靶基因FLOWERING LOCUS T（FT）构成的调节元件（regulon）在依赖于光周期的开花过程中起重要作用。目前已从多种植物中鉴定出CO和FT基因,并对其在开花时间的调控作用进行了深入研究。     

An antagonistic pair of FT homologs mediates the control of flowering time in sugar beet

Cultivated beets (Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris) are unable to form reproductive shoots during the first year of their life cycle. Flowering only occurs if plants get vernalized, that is, pass through the winter, and are subsequently exposed to an increasing day length (photoperiod) in spring. Here, we show that the regulation of flowering time in beets is controlled by the interplay of two paralogs of the FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) gene in Arabidopsis that have evolved antagonistic functions. BvFT2 is functionally conserved with FT and essential for flowering. In contrast, BvFT1 represses flowering and its down-regulation is crucial for the vernalization response in beets. These data suggest that the beet has evolved a different strategy relative to Arabidopsis and cereals to regulate vernalization.     

The mRNA of the Arabidopsis gene FT moves from leaf to shoot apex and induces flowering

Day length controls flowering time in many plants. The day-length signal is perceived in the leaf, but how this signal is transduced to the shoot apex, where floral initiation occurs, is not known. In Arabidopsis, the day-length response depends on the induction of the FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) gene. We show here that local induction of FT in a single Arabidopsis leaf is sufficient to trigger flowering. The FT messenger RNA is transported to the shoot apex, where downstream genes are activated. These data suggest that the FT mRNA is an important component of the elusive "florigen" signal that moves from leaf to shoot apex.     

拟南芥开花过程的转录后调控研究进展

从营养生长向生殖生长的转换是植物生命周期中最重要的事件之一,是植物繁衍后代的重要保证。为适应复杂的环境条件和自身的发育需求,开花基因在转录激活/抑制、转录后、翻译及翻译后等多个水平上被调控,其中染色质重构、组蛋白修饰等表观遗传调节是拟南芥春化途径和自主途径的主要调节方式。最近的研究结果表明,选择性剪接、小RNA和长非编码RNA等多种转录后水平方式的调节在拟南芥开花基因调节中发挥重要作用。本文就目前有关拟南芥开花基因转录后调控方式研究进展进行综述,以期为今后进一步完善开花时间调控网络提供参考。