Comprehensive Analyses of Four <i>PhNF-YC</i> Genes from <i>Petunia hybrida</i> and Impacts on Flowering Time
Jing Bin,
Qinghua Tan,
Shiyun Wen,
Licheng Huang,
Huimin Wang,
Muhammad Imtiaz,
Zhisheng Zhang,
Herong Guo,
Li Xie,
Ruizhen Zeng,
Qian Wei
Affiliations
Jing Bin
Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Breeding, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Qinghua Tan
College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Shiyun Wen
Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Breeding, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Licheng Huang
Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Breeding, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Huimin Wang
College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Muhammad Imtiaz
Department of Horticulture, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan 23200, Pakistan
Zhisheng Zhang
Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Breeding, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Herong Guo
Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Breeding, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Li Xie
Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Breeding, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Ruizhen Zeng
Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Breeding, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Qian Wei
Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Breeding, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Nuclear Factor Y (NF-Y) is a class of heterotrimeric transcription factors composed of three subunits: NF-A, NF-YB, and NF-YC. NF-YC family members play crucial roles in various developmental processes, particularly in the regulation of flowering time. However, their functions in petunia remain poorly understood. In this study, we isolated four PhNF-YC genes from petunia and confirmed their subcellular localization in both the nucleus and cytoplasm. We analyzed the transcript abundance of all four PhNF-YC genes and found that PhNF-YC2 and PhNF-YC4 were highly expressed in apical buds and leaves, with their transcript levels decreasing before flower bud differentiation. Silencing PhNF-YC2 using VIGS resulted in a delayed flowering time and reduced chlorophyll content, while PhNF-YC4-silenced plants only exhibited a delayed flowering time. Furthermore, we detected the transcript abundance of flowering-related genes involved in different signaling pathways and found that PhCO, PhGI, PhFBP21, PhGA20ox4, and PhSPL9b were regulated by both PhNF-YC2 and PhNF-YC4. Additionally, the transcript abundance of PhSPL2, PhSPL3, and PhSPL4 increased only in PhNF-YC2-silenced plants. Overall, these results provide evidence that PhNF-YC2 and PhNF-YC4 negatively regulate flowering time in petunia by modulating a series of flowering-related genes.
