Control of chrysanthemum flowering through integration with an aging pathway. Issue 1 (December 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wei, Qian; Ma, Chao; Xu, Yanjie; Wang, Tianle; Chen, Yiyu; Lü, Jing; Zhang, Lili; Jiang, Cai-Zhong; Hong, Bo; Gao, Junping
• Is Part Of: Nature communications. Volume 8:Issue 1(2017)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 11
• Publication Date: 2017-12
• Subjects: Biology -- Periodicals; Physical sciences -- Periodicals; 505
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00812-0
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2041-1723

Abstract

Abstract Age, as a threshold of floral competence acquisition, prevents precocious flowering when there is insufficient biomass, and ensures flowering independent of environmental conditions; however, the underlying regulatory mechanisms are largely unknown. In this study, silencing the expression of a nuclear factor gene, CmNF-YB8, from the short day plant chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium ), results in precocious transition from juvenile to adult, as well as early flowering, regardless of day length conditions. The expression of SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING-LIKE (SPL) family members, SPL3, SPL5, andSPL9, is upregulated inCmNF-YB8 -RNAi plants, while expression of the microRNA, cmo -MIR156, is downregulated. In addition, CmNF-YB8 is shown to bind to the promoter of thecmo-MIR156 gene. Ectopic expression of cmo-miR156, using a virus-based microRNA expression system, restores the early flowering phenotype caused byCmNF-YB8 silencing. These results show that CmNF-YB8 influences flowering time through directly regulating the expression ofcmo-MIR156 in the aging pathway. The mechanisms by which plant age regulates flowering remain incompletely understood. Here the authors show that age dependent regulation of SPL transcription factors by miR156 influence flowering via control of NF-YB8 expression in Chrysanthemum.