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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fargo, North Dakota » Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center » Weed and Insect Biology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #420933
Research Project: Biology of Weed-Crop Interactions to Improve Weed Management Strategies in Northern Agro-ecosystems

Location: Weed and Insect Biology Research

Title: CsCBF1/CsZHD9-CsMADS27, a critical gene module controlling dormancy and bud break in tea plants

Author
item HAO, XINYUAN - Tea Research Institute
item TANG, JUNWEI - Tea Research Institute
item CHEN, YAO - Tea Research Institute
item HUANG, CHAO - Tea Research Institute
item ZHANG, WEIFU - Tea Research Institute
item LIU, YING - Tea Research Institute
item YUE, CHUAN - Tea Research Institute
item WANG, LU - Tea Research Institute
item DING, CHANGQING - Tea Research Institute
item DAI, WENHAO - North Dakota State University
item YANG, YAJUN - Tea Research Institute
item Horvath, David
item WANG, XINCHAO - Tea Research Institute

Submitted to: Plant Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/4/2024
Publication Date: 12/2/2024
Citation: Hao, X., Tang, J., Chen, Y., Huang, C., Zhang, W., Liu, Y., Yue, C., Wang, L., Ding, C., Dai, W., Yang, Y., Horvath, D.P., Wang, X. 2024. CsCBF1/CsZHD9-CsMADS27, a critical gene module controlling dormancy and bud break in tea plants. Plant Journal. https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.17165.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.17165

Interpretive Summary: Teaplant is an important horticultural crop in several countries in the world with temperate sub-tropical climates- most notably China, India, but also in the US. Teaplants undergo growth cessation and dormancy induction in the fall, which protects them from freezing damage. However, failure to appropriately enter or break dormancy results in yield losses. Several genes were initially identified as potentially controlling dormancy induction and breaking in teaplant including a gene that was similar to genes from other perennial plants and weeds that have also been linked to dormancy control. This particular gene was either turned on or turned off to confirm it controlled dormancy in teaplant. The results indicated that it controlled dormancy in teaplant. Further, other genes that are controlled by this gene were identified as were genes that control when this gene itself is turned on or off. These results will help researchers manipulate this dormancy-controlling gene and develop new teaplant cultivars that will have better yields in increasingly less predictable climates.

Technical Abstract: Tea plants are perennial evergreen woody crops that originated in low latitudes but have spread to high latitudes. Bud dormancy is an important adaptation mechanism to low temperatures, and its timing is economically significant for tea production. However, the core molecular networks regulating dormancy and bud break in tea plants remain unclear. In the present study, a MADS-box transcription factor CsMADS27was identified in tea plants. Gene and phenotype characterizations following ectopic overexpression and endogenous silencing experiments are consistent with a role for CsMADS27 in dormancy and sprouting in different tea cultivars. Further, CsDJC23 was found to be a downstream target of CsMADS27 and implicated in bud sprouting. Based on yeast one-hybrid screening and comprehensive verification, CsCBF1 and CsZHD9 were identified as upstream transcriptional inhibitors and activators of CsMADS27, respectively, with the two proteins showing direct interactions and competitive binding effects. Histone acetylation (H3K27Ac) in the first exon and intron regions of CsMADS27 was associated with a positive role in CsMADS27 expression. These results revealed that CsMADS27 is a key transcription factor involved in the regulation of dormancy and bud break. Further, the CsCBF1/CsZHD9-CsMADS27 module plays a critical role in sensing environmental factors and accurately regulating the growth and development of overwintering buds in tea plants.