scholarly journals Environmental Signal-Dependent Regulation of Flowering Time in Rice

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (17) ◽  
pp. 6155
Author(s):  
Jae Sung Shim ◽  
Geupil Jang
Keyword(s):  
Arabidopsis Thaliana ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Flowering Time ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Light Quality ◽  
Critical Event ◽  
Light Conditions ◽  
Environmental Signals ◽  
Internal Time ◽  
Light Quantity

The transition from the vegetative to the reproductive stage of growth is a critical event in the lifecycle of a plant and is required for the plant’s reproductive success. Flowering time is tightly regulated by an internal time-keeping system and external light conditions, including photoperiod, light quality, and light quantity. Other environmental factors, such as drought and temperature, also participate in the regulation of flowering time. Thus, flexibility in flowering time in response to environmental factors is required for the successful adaptation of plants to the environment. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which internal and environmental signals are integrated to regulate flowering time in Arabidopsis thaliana and rice (Oryza sativa).

scholarly journals Role of PIF4 and FLC in controlling flowering time under daily variable temperature profile

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jutapak Jenkitkonchai ◽  
Poppy Marriott ◽  
Weibing Yang ◽  
Napaporn Sriden ◽  
Jae-Hoon Jung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flowering Time ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Transcriptional Regulatory Network ◽  
Variable Temperature ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Environmental Signals ◽  
Regulatory Interactions ◽  
Flowering Genes ◽  
Gene Regulatory ◽  
Flowering Locus

ABSTRACTInitiation of flowering is a crucial developmental event that requires both internal and environmental signals to determine when floral transition should occur to maximize reproductive success. Ambient temperature is one of the key environmental signals that highly influence flowering time, not only seasonally but also in the context of drastic temperature fluctuation due to global warming. Molecular mechanisms of how high or low constant temperatures affect the flowering time have been largely characterized in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana; however, the effect of natural daily variable temperature outside laboratories is only partly explored. Several groups of flowering genes have been shown to play important roles in temperature responses, including two temperature-responsive transcription factors (TFs), namely PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR 4 (PIF4) and FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC), that act antagonistically to regulate flowering time by activating or repressing floral integrator FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT). In this study, we have demonstrated that the daily variable temperature (VAR) causes early flowering in both natural accessions Col-0, C24 and their late flowering hybrid C24xCol, which carries both functional floral repressor FLC and its activator FRIGIDA (FRI), as compared to a constant temperature (CON). The loss-of-function mutation of PIF4 exhibits later flowering in VAR, suggesting that PIF4 at least in part, contributes to acceleration of flowering in response to the daily variable temperature. We find that VAR increases PIF4 transcription at the end of the day when temperature peaks at 32 °C. The FT transcription is also elevated in VAR, as compared to CON, in agreement with earlier flowering observed in VAR. In addition, VAR causes a decrease in FLC transcription in 4-week-old plants, and we further show that overexpression of PIF4 can reduce FLC transcription, suggesting that PIF4 might also regulate FT indirectly through the repression of FLC. To further conceptualize an overall model of gene regulatory mechanisms involving PIF4 and FLC in controlling flowering in response to temperature changes, we construct a co-expression – transcriptional regulatory network by combining publicly available transcriptomic data and gene regulatory interactions of our flowering genes of interest and their partners. The network model reveals the conserved and tissue-specific regulatory functions of 62 flowering-time-relating genes, namely PIF4, PIF5, FLC, ELF3 and their immediate neighboring genes, which can be useful for confirming and predicting the functions and regulatory interactions between the key flowering genes.

scholarly journals Floral pathway integrator gene expression mediates gradual transmission of environmental and endogenous cues to flowering time

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aalt D.J. van Dijk ◽  
Jaap Molenaar
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Arabidopsis Thaliana ◽  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Flowering Time ◽  
Genetic Networks ◽  
Expression Levels ◽  
Quantitative Level ◽  
The Impact

The appropriate timing of flowering is crucial for the reproductive success of plants. Hence, intricate genetic networks integrate various environmental and endogenous cues such as temperature or hormonal statues. These signals integrate into a network of floral pathway integrator genes. At a quantitative level, it is currently unclear how the impact of genetic variation in signaling pathways on flowering time is mediated by floral pathway integrator genes. Here, using datasets available from literature, we connect Arabidopsis thaliana flowering time in genetic backgrounds varying in upstream signalling components with the expression levels of floral pathway integrator genes in these genetic backgrounds. Our modelling results indicate that flowering time depends in a quite linear way on expression levels of floral pathway integrator genes. This gradual, proportional response of flowering time to upstream changes enables a gradual adaptation to changing environmental factors such as temperature and light.

scholarly journals Floral pathway integrator gene expression mediates gradual transmission of environmental and endogenous cues to flowering time

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aalt D.J. van Dijk ◽  
Jaap Molenaar
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Arabidopsis Thaliana ◽  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Flowering Time ◽  
Genetic Networks ◽  
Expression Levels ◽  
Quantitative Level ◽  
The Impact

The appropriate timing of flowering is crucial for the reproductive success of plants. Hence, intricate genetic networks integrate various environmental and endogenous cues such as temperature or hormonal statues. These signals integrate into a network of floral pathway integrator genes. At a quantitative level, it is currently unclear how the impact of genetic variation in signaling pathways on flowering time is mediated by floral pathway integrator genes. Here, using datasets available from literature, we connect Arabidopsis thaliana flowering time in genetic backgrounds varying in upstream signalling components with the expression levels of floral pathway integrator genes in these genetic backgrounds. Our modelling results indicate that flowering time depends in a quite linear way on expression levels of floral pathway integrator genes. This gradual, proportional response of flowering time to upstream changes enables a gradual adaptation to changing environmental factors such as temperature and light.

scholarly journals Mechanisms of the Morphological Plasticity Induced by Phytohormones and the Environment in Plants

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 765
Author(s):  
Gaojie Li ◽  
Shiqi Hu ◽  
Xuyao Zhao ◽  
Sunjeet Kumar ◽  
Yixian Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Leaf Development ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Leaf Growth ◽  
Morphological Plasticity ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Leaf Morphogenesis ◽  
Environmental Signals

Plants adapt to environmental changes by regulating their development and growth. As an important interface between plants and their environment, leaf morphogenesis varies between species, populations, or even shows plasticity within individuals. Leaf growth is dependent on many environmental factors, such as light, temperature, and submergence. Phytohormones play key functions in leaf development and can act as molecular regulatory elements in response to environmental signals. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge on the effects of different environmental factors and phytohormone pathways on morphological plasticity and intend to summarize the advances in leaf development. In addition, we detail the molecular mechanisms of heterophylly, the representative of leaf plasticity, providing novel insights into phytohormones and the environmental adaptation in plants.

scholarly journals Floral pathway integrator gene expression mediates gradual transmission of environmental and endogenous cues to flowering time

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aalt D.J. van Dijk ◽  
Jaap Molenaar
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Arabidopsis Thaliana ◽  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Flowering Time ◽  
Genetic Networks ◽  
Expression Levels ◽  
Quantitative Level ◽  
The Impact

The appropriate timing of flowering is crucial for the reproductive success of plants. Hence, intricate genetic networks integrate various environmental and endogenous cues such as temperature or hormonal statues. These signals integrate into a network of floral pathway integrator genes. At a quantitative level, it is currently unclear how the impact of genetic variation in signaling pathways on flowering time is mediated by floral pathway integrator genes. Here, using datasets available from literature, we connect Arabidopsis thaliana flowering time in genetic backgrounds varying in upstream signalling components with the expression levels of floral pathway integrator genes in these genetic backgrounds. Our modelling results indicate that flowering time depends in a quite linear way on expression levels of floral pathway integrator genes. This gradual, proportional response of flowering time to upstream changes enables a gradual adaptation to changing environmental factors such as temperature and light.

Antagonistic actions of Arabidopsis cryptochromes and phytochrome B in the regulation of floral induction

Development ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 126 (10) ◽  
pp. 2073-2082 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.C. Mockler ◽  
H. Guo ◽  
H. Yang ◽  
H. Duong ◽  
C. Lin
Keyword(s):  
Flowering Time ◽  
Blue Light ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Light Quality ◽  
Floral Induction ◽  
Red Light ◽  
Floral Initiation ◽  
Sensitive Phase ◽  
Light Inhibition

The Arabidopsis photoreceptors cry1, cry2 and phyB are known to play roles in the regulation of flowering time, for which the molecular mechanisms remain unclear. We have previously hypothesized that phyB mediates a red-light inhibition of floral initiation and cry2 mediates a blue-light inhibition of the phyB function. Studies of the cry2/phyB double mutant provide direct evidence in support of this hypothesis. The function of cryptochromes in floral induction was further investigated using the cry2/cry1 double mutants. The cry2/cry1 double mutants showed delayed flowering in monochromatic blue light, whereas neither monogenic cry1 nor cry2 mutant exhibited late flowering in blue light. This result suggests that, in addition to the phyB-dependent function, cry2 also acts redundantly with cry1 to promote floral initiation in a phyB-independent manner. To understand how photoreceptors regulate the transition from vegetative growth to reproductive development, we examined the effect of sequential illumination by blue light and red light on the flowering time of plants. We found that there was a light-quality-sensitive phase of plant development, during which the quality of light exerts a profound influence on flowering time. After this developmental stage, which is between approximately day-1 to day-7 post germination, plants are committed to floral initiation and the quality of light has little effect on the flowering time. Mutations in either the PHYB gene or both the CRY1 and CRY2 genes resulted in the loss of the light-quality-sensitive phase manifested during floral development. The commitment time of floral transition, defined by a plant's sensitivity to light quality, coincides with the commitment time of inflorescence development revealed previously by a plant's sensitivity to light quantity - the photoperiod. Therefore, the developmental mechanism resulting in the commitment to flowering appears to be the direct target of the antagonistic actions of the photoreceptors.

scholarly journals Inter-species functional compatibility of the Theobroma cacao and Arabidopsis FT orthologs: 90 million years of functional conservation of meristem identity genes

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
S. F. Prewitt ◽  
A. Shalit-Kaneh ◽  
S. N. Maximova ◽  
M. J. Guiltinan
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Tissue Culture ◽  
Gene Family ◽  
Flowering Time ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Regulatory Pathways ◽  
Late Flowering ◽  
Precocious Flowering ◽  
Transition To Flowering

Abstract Background In angiosperms the transition to flowering is controlled by a complex set of interacting networks integrating a range of developmental, physiological, and environmental factors optimizing transition time for maximal reproductive efficiency. The molecular mechanisms comprising these networks have been partially characterized and include both transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulatory pathways. Florigen, encoded by FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) orthologs, is a conserved central integrator of several flowering time regulatory pathways. To characterize the molecular mechanisms involved in controlling cacao flowering time, we have characterized a cacao candidate florigen gene, TcFLOWERING LOCUS T (TcFT). Understanding how this conserved flowering time regulator affects cacao plant’s transition to flowering could lead to strategies to accelerate cacao breeding. Results BLAST searches of cacao genome reference assemblies identified seven candidate members of the CENTRORADIALIS/TERMINAL FLOWER1/SELF PRUNING gene family including a single florigen candidate. cDNA encoding the predicted cacao florigen was cloned and functionally tested by transgenic genetic complementation in the Arabidopsis ft-10 mutant. Transgenic expression of the candidate TcFT cDNA in late flowering Arabidopsis ft-10 partially rescues the mutant to wild-type flowering time. Gene expression studies reveal that TcFT is spatially and temporally expressed in a manner similar to that found in Arabidopsis, specifically, TcFT mRNA is shown to be both developmentally and diurnally regulated in leaves and is most abundant in floral tissues. Finally, to test interspecies compatibility of florigens, we transformed cacao tissues with AtFT resulting in the remarkable formation of flowers in tissue culture. The morphology of these in vitro flowers is normal, and they produce pollen that germinates in vitro with high rates. Conclusion We have identified the cacao CETS gene family, central to developmental regulation in angiosperms. The role of the cacao’s single FT-like gene (TcFT) as a general regulator of determinate growth in cacao was demonstrated by functional complementation of Arabidopsis ft-10 late-flowering mutant and through gene expression analysis. In addition, overexpression of AtFT in cacao resulted in precocious flowering in cacao tissue culture demonstrating the highly conserved function of FT and the mechanisms controlling flowering in cacao.

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