Overexpression of TCP8 delays Arabidopsis flowering through a FLOWERING LOCUS C-dependent pathway

• Published in: BMC plant biology 2019-12, Vol.19 (1), p.534-534, Article 534
• Main Authors: Wang, Xiaoyan, Xu, Xintong, Mo, Xiaowei, Zhong, Luyao, Zhang, Jiancong, Mo, Beixin, Kuai, Benke
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arabidopsis; Arabidopsis - genetics; Arabidopsis - growth & development; Arabidopsis - metabolism; Arabidopsis Proteins - genetics; Arabidopsis Proteins - metabolism; Arabidopsis thaliana; Biological activity; DNA binding proteins; Environmental regulations; FLC; Flowering; Flowers - genetics; Flowers - growth & development; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Genotype & phenotype; Life cycles; Loci; MADS Domain Proteins - genetics; MADS Domain Proteins - metabolism; Messenger RNA; Pathogens; Phenotypes; Plants (botany); Proteins; RNA; Signal Transduction; TCP/IP (Network protocols); TCP8; Transcription factors; Transcription Factors - genetics; Transcription Factors - metabolism; Transgenic plants; Vernalization
• ISSN: 1471-2229; 1471-2229
• DOI: 10.1186/s12870-019-2157-4

Flowering is a key process in the life cycle of plants. The transition from vegetative to reproductive growth is thus under sophisticated regulation by endogenous and environmental signals. The plant-specific Teosinte Branched 1/Cycloidea/Proliferating Cell Factors (TCP) family transcription factors are involved in many biological processes, but their roles in regulating flowering have not been totally elucidated. We explored the role of Arabidopsis TCP8 in plant development and, especially, in flowering control. Overexpression of TCP8 significantly delayed flowering under both long-day and short-day conditions and dominant repression by TCP8 led to various growth defects. The upregulation of TCP8 led to more accumulated mRNA level of FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC), a central floral repressor of Arabidopsis. TCP8 functions in an FLC-dependent manner, as TCP8 overexpression in the flc-6 loss-of-function mutant failed to delay flowering. The vernalization treatment could reverse the late flowering phenotype caused by TCP8 overexpression. Our results provide evidence for a role of TCP8 in flowering control and add to our knowledge of the molecular basis of TCP8 function.