Tomato Timekeeper: Role of NF-YA3b Gene in Flowering newswise

Newswise – Flowering time is critical to crop yield and quality, which directly affects seed and fruit production. While extensive research has focused on the regulation of flowering in model plants such as Arabidopsis and rice, the mechanisms in tomato are less understood. In tomato, flowering time affects both yield and coordination of fruit production, which is important for commercial farming. To overcome these challenges, intensive research is needed to uncover the genetic factors controlling flowering time in tomato, with the aim of enhancing crop management practices and boosting agricultural productivity.

A team from Huazhong Agricultural University, along with collaborators from Northwest A&F University, Zhumadian Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the University of Idaho, published their Conclusion (DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhae088) in the journal horticultural research On April 2, 2024. They found that the gene regulates flowering time in tomato by binding to the SlNF-YA3b promoter. Single Flower Truss (SFT) Jean. The study explored the NF-Y transcription factor family, focusing on the NF-YA subunit, SLNF-YA3B. Using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, researchers created knock-out tomato plants SlNF-YA3b, causing flowers to bloom earlier than wild-type plants. On the contrary, to overexpress SlNF-YA3b Late flowering. Biochemical assays confirmed that SlNF-YA3b directly binds to CCAAT elements. SFT gene promoter, repressing its expression. This suggests that SlNF-YA3b functions as an inhibitor of flowering time in tomato. The study findings highlight the critical role of SlNF-YA3b in regulating flowering time, providing new insights into the molecular mechanisms of tomato flowering. These discoveries pave the way for genetic manipulation to control flowering time, potentially improving crop yield and synchronization, thereby increasing agricultural productivity and efficiency.

search SlNF-YA3bIts role in regulation of flowering time has important potential applications in agriculture. By manipulating this gene, it may be possible to control flowering time to optimize fruit production and improve the crop’s resilience to environmental changes. This research provides a promising route to increase the efficiency and productivity of tomato cultivation.

,

Reference

DOI

10.1093/hour/uhae088

original source url

https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhae088

Funding Information

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32272743), the Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangxi (GUIKAA22068088-1), the Science and Technology Key Project of Zhumadian (ZMDSZDZX2022005), and the Designated Fund for China. Agricultural Research System (CARS-23-A13).

About this horticultural research

horticultural research is an open access journal of Nanjing Agricultural University and ranked number one in the Horticulture category of the Journal Citation Report™ from Clarivate, 2022. The journal is committed to publishing original research articles, reviews, viewpoints, commentaries, correspondence articles and letters. Editors deal with all major horticultural plants and topics, including biotechnology, breeding, cellular and molecular biology, evolution, genetics, inter-species interactions, physiology and the origin and domestication of crops.