Genetic inhibition of flowering differs between juvenile and adult Citrus trees

Background and Aims In woody species, the juvenile period maintains the axillary meristems in a vegetative stage, unable to flower, for several years. However, in adult trees, some 1-year-old meristems flower whereas others remain vegetative to ensure a polycarpic growth habit. Both types of trees,...

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Main Authors: Munoz-Fambuena, Natalia, Nicolás-Almansa, M., Martínez-Fuentes, Amparo, Reig, Carmina, Iglesias, Domingo J., Primo-Millo, Eduardo, Mesejo, Carlos, Agustí, Manuel
Format: article
Language:Inglés
Published: Oxford University Press 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/6488
https://academic.oup.com/aob/article/123/3/483/5115650
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author Munoz-Fambuena, Natalia
Nicolás-Almansa, M.
Martínez-Fuentes, Amparo
Reig, Carmina
Iglesias, Domingo J.
Primo-Millo, Eduardo
Mesejo, Carlos
Agustí, Manuel
author_browse Agustí, Manuel
Iglesias, Domingo J.
Martínez-Fuentes, Amparo
Mesejo, Carlos
Munoz-Fambuena, Natalia
Nicolás-Almansa, M.
Primo-Millo, Eduardo
Reig, Carmina
author_facet Munoz-Fambuena, Natalia
Nicolás-Almansa, M.
Martínez-Fuentes, Amparo
Reig, Carmina
Iglesias, Domingo J.
Primo-Millo, Eduardo
Mesejo, Carlos
Agustí, Manuel
author_sort Munoz-Fambuena, Natalia
collection ReDivia
description Background and Aims In woody species, the juvenile period maintains the axillary meristems in a vegetative stage, unable to flower, for several years. However, in adult trees, some 1-year-old meristems flower whereas others remain vegetative to ensure a polycarpic growth habit. Both types of trees, therefore, have non-flowering meristems, and we hypothesize that the molecular mechanism regulating flower inhibition in juvenile trees is different from that in adult trees. Methods In adult Citrus trees, the main endogenous factor inhibiting flower induction is the growing fruit. Thus, we studied the expression of the main flowering time, identity and patterning genes of trees with heavy fruit load (not-flowering adult trees) compared to that of 6-month-old trees (not-flowering juvenile trees). Adult trees without fruits (flowering trees) were used as a control. Second, we studied the expression of the same genes in the meristems of 6-month, and 1-, 3-, 5- and 7-year-old juvenile trees compared to 10-year-old flowering trees. Key Results The axillary meristems of juvenile trees are unable to transcribe flowering time and patterning genes during the period of induction, although they are able to transcribe the FLOWERING LOCUS T citrus orthologue (CiFT2) in leaves. By contrast, meristems of not-flowering adult trees are able to transcribe the flowering network genes but fail to achieve the transcription threshold required to flower, due to CiFT2 repression by the fruit. Juvenile meristems progressively achieve gene expression, with age-dependent differences from 6 months to 7 years, FD-like and CsLFY being the last genes to be expressed. Conclusions During the juvenile period the mechanism inhibiting flowering is determined in the immature bud, so that it progressively acquires flowering ability at the gene expression level of the flowering time programme, whereas in the adult tree it is determined in the leaf, where repression of CiFT2 gene expression occurs.
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spelling ReDivia64882025-04-25T14:47:15Z Genetic inhibition of flowering differs between juvenile and adult Citrus trees Munoz-Fambuena, Natalia Nicolás-Almansa, M. Martínez-Fuentes, Amparo Reig, Carmina Iglesias, Domingo J. Primo-Millo, Eduardo Mesejo, Carlos Agustí, Manuel Alternate bearing AP1 FLC FT FD LFY TFL1 F30 Plant genetics and breeding Citrus Flowering Fruit Juvenility of plants Background and Aims In woody species, the juvenile period maintains the axillary meristems in a vegetative stage, unable to flower, for several years. However, in adult trees, some 1-year-old meristems flower whereas others remain vegetative to ensure a polycarpic growth habit. Both types of trees, therefore, have non-flowering meristems, and we hypothesize that the molecular mechanism regulating flower inhibition in juvenile trees is different from that in adult trees. Methods In adult Citrus trees, the main endogenous factor inhibiting flower induction is the growing fruit. Thus, we studied the expression of the main flowering time, identity and patterning genes of trees with heavy fruit load (not-flowering adult trees) compared to that of 6-month-old trees (not-flowering juvenile trees). Adult trees without fruits (flowering trees) were used as a control. Second, we studied the expression of the same genes in the meristems of 6-month, and 1-, 3-, 5- and 7-year-old juvenile trees compared to 10-year-old flowering trees. Key Results The axillary meristems of juvenile trees are unable to transcribe flowering time and patterning genes during the period of induction, although they are able to transcribe the FLOWERING LOCUS T citrus orthologue (CiFT2) in leaves. By contrast, meristems of not-flowering adult trees are able to transcribe the flowering network genes but fail to achieve the transcription threshold required to flower, due to CiFT2 repression by the fruit. Juvenile meristems progressively achieve gene expression, with age-dependent differences from 6 months to 7 years, FD-like and CsLFY being the last genes to be expressed. Conclusions During the juvenile period the mechanism inhibiting flowering is determined in the immature bud, so that it progressively acquires flowering ability at the gene expression level of the flowering time programme, whereas in the adult tree it is determined in the leaf, where repression of CiFT2 gene expression occurs. 2020-06-02T08:17:25Z 2020-06-02T08:17:25Z 2019 article acceptedVersion Muñoz-Fambuena, N., Nicolás-Almansa, M., Martínez-Fuentes, A., Reig, C., Iglesias, D. J., Primo-Millo, E., ... & Agustí, M. (2019). Genetic inhibition of flowering differs between juvenile and adult Citrus trees. Annals of botany, 123(3), 483-490. 1095-8290 0305-7364 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/6488 10.1093/aob/mcy179 https://academic.oup.com/aob/article/123/3/483/5115650 en openAccess Oxford University Press electronico
spellingShingle Alternate bearing
AP1
FLC
FT
FD
LFY
TFL1
F30 Plant genetics and breeding
Citrus
Flowering
Fruit
Juvenility of plants
Munoz-Fambuena, Natalia
Nicolás-Almansa, M.
Martínez-Fuentes, Amparo
Reig, Carmina
Iglesias, Domingo J.
Primo-Millo, Eduardo
Mesejo, Carlos
Agustí, Manuel
Genetic inhibition of flowering differs between juvenile and adult Citrus trees
title Genetic inhibition of flowering differs between juvenile and adult Citrus trees
title_full Genetic inhibition of flowering differs between juvenile and adult Citrus trees
title_fullStr Genetic inhibition of flowering differs between juvenile and adult Citrus trees
title_full_unstemmed Genetic inhibition of flowering differs between juvenile and adult Citrus trees
title_short Genetic inhibition of flowering differs between juvenile and adult Citrus trees
title_sort genetic inhibition of flowering differs between juvenile and adult citrus trees
topic Alternate bearing
AP1
FLC
FT
FD
LFY
TFL1
F30 Plant genetics and breeding
Citrus
Flowering
Fruit
Juvenility of plants
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/6488
https://academic.oup.com/aob/article/123/3/483/5115650
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