Overexpression of Arabidopsis FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) Gene Improves Floral Development in Cassava (Manihot Esculenta, Crantz)

Overview

Journal PLoS One

Specialties General Medicine
Science

Date 2017 Jul 29

PMID 28753668

Citations 29

Authors

O Sarah Adeyemo

Paul Chavarriaga

Joe Tohme

Martin Fregene

Seth J Davis

Tim L Setter

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Cassava is a tropical storage-root crop that serves as a worldwide source of staple food for over 800 million people. Flowering is one of the most important breeding challenges in cassava because in most lines flowering is late and non-synchronized, and flower production is sparse. The FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) gene is pivotal for floral induction in all examined angiosperms. The objective of the current work was to determine the potential roles of the FT signaling system in cassava. The Arabidopsis thaliana FT gene (atFT) was transformed into the cassava cultivar 60444 through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and was found to be overexpressed constitutively. FT overexpression hastened flower initiation and associated fork-type branching, indicating that cassava has the necessary signaling factors to interact with and respond to the atFT gene product. In addition, overexpression stimulated lateral branching, increased the prolificacy of flower production and extended the longevity of flower development. While FT homologs in some plant species stimulate development of vegetative storage organs, atFT inhibited storage-root development and decreased root harvest index in cassava. These findings collectively contribute to our understanding of flower development in cassava and have the potential for applications in breeding.

Citing Articles

CRISPR/Cas9: an advanced platform for root and tuber crops improvement.

Divya K, Thangaraj M, Krishna Radhika N Front Genome Ed. 2024; 5:1242510.

PMID: 38312197 PMC: 10836405. DOI: 10.3389/fgeed.2023.1242510.

Genome-wide identification of PEBP gene family in pineapple reveal its potential functions in flowering.

Zhang X, Ouyang Y, Zhao L, Li Z, Zhang H, Wei Y Front Plant Sci. 2023; 14:1277436.

PMID: 37965004 PMC: 10641017. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1277436.

The Development of Thematic Core Collections in Cassava Based on Yield, Disease Resistance, and Root Quality Traits.

Dos Santos C, Andrade L, do Carmo C, de Oliveira E Plants (Basel). 2023; 12(19).

PMID: 37836214 PMC: 10574880. DOI: 10.3390/plants12193474.

Hormonal Regulation and Stimulation Response of L. Homolog Overexpression on Tobacco Leaf Growth by Transcriptome Analysis.

Wu Q, Zheng D, Lian N, Zhu X, Wu J Int J Mol Sci. 2023; 24(17).

PMID: 37685991 PMC: 10487882. DOI: 10.3390/ijms241713183.

Top and Side Lighting Induce Morphophysiological Improvements in Korean Ginseng Sprouts ( C.A. Meyer) Grown from One-Year-Old Roots.

Yang J, Song J, Shilpha J, Jeong B Plants (Basel). 2023; 12(15).

PMID: 37571002 PMC: 10421474. DOI: 10.3390/plants12152849.

References

Andres F, Coupland G . The genetic basis of flowering responses to seasonal cues. Nat Rev Genet. 2012; 13(9):627-39. DOI: 10.1038/nrg3291. View

van Dongen J, Schurr U, Pfister M, Geigenberger P . Phloem metabolism and function have to cope with low internal oxygen. Plant Physiol. 2003; 131(4):1529-43. PMC: 166912. DOI: 10.1104/pp.102.017202. View

Harig L, Beinecke F, Oltmanns J, Muth J, Muller O, Ruping B . Proteins from the FLOWERING LOCUS T-like subclade of the PEBP family act antagonistically to regulate floral initiation in tobacco. Plant J. 2012; 72(6):908-21. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-313X.2012.05125.x. View

Lee R, Baldwin S, Kenel F, McCallum J, Macknight R . FLOWERING LOCUS T genes control onion bulb formation and flowering. Nat Commun. 2013; 4:2884. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms3884. View

McGarry R, Kragler F . Phloem-mobile signals affecting flowers: applications for crop breeding. Trends Plant Sci. 2013; 18(4):198-206. DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2013.01.004. View

Ceballos H, Kawuki R, Gracen V, Yencho G, Hershey C . Conventional breeding, marker-assisted selection, genomic selection and inbreeding in clonally propagated crops: a case study for cassava. Theor Appl Genet. 2015; 128(9):1647-67. PMC: 4540783. DOI: 10.1007/s00122-015-2555-4. View

Hao X, Chao W, Yang Y, Horvath D . Coordinated Expression of FLOWERING LOCUS T and DORMANCY ASSOCIATED MADS-BOX-Like Genes in Leafy Spurge. PLoS One. 2015; 10(5):e0126030. PMC: 4427404. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0126030. View

Bohlenius H, Huang T, Charbonnel-Campaa L, Brunner A, Jansson S, Strauss S . CO/FT regulatory module controls timing of flowering and seasonal growth cessation in trees. Science. 2006; 312(5776):1040-3. DOI: 10.1126/science.1126038. View

Sweetman J, Chu C, Qu N, Greenland A, Sonnewald U, Jepson I . Ethanol vapor is an efficient inducer of the alc gene expression system in model and crop plant species. Plant Physiol. 2002; 129(3):943-8. PMC: 1540238. DOI: 10.1104/pp.010937. View

10.

Jung C, Muller A . Flowering time control and applications in plant breeding. Trends Plant Sci. 2009; 14(10):563-73. DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2009.07.005. View

11.

Gonzalez A, Schopke C, Taylor N, Beachy R, Fauquet C . Regeneration of transgenic cassava plants (Manihot esculenta Crantz) through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of embryogenic suspension cultures. Plant Cell Rep. 2019; 17(11):827-831. DOI: 10.1007/s002990050492. View

12.

Roslan H, Salter M, Wood C, White M, Croft K, Robson F . Characterization of the ethanol-inducible alc gene-expression system in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant J. 2001; 28(2):225-35. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-313x.2001.01146.x. View

13.

Trankner C, Lehmann S, Hoenicka H, Hanke M, Fladung M, Lenhardt D . Over-expression of an FT-homologous gene of apple induces early flowering in annual and perennial plants. Planta. 2010; 232(6):1309-24. DOI: 10.1007/s00425-010-1254-2. View

14.

Ceballos H, Perez J, Joaqui Barandica O, Lenis J, Morante N, Calle F . Cassava Breeding I: The Value of Breeding Value. Front Plant Sci. 2016; 7:1227. PMC: 5003041. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.01227. View

15.

Abe M, Kaya H, Watanabe-Taneda A, Shibuta M, Yamaguchi A, Sakamoto T . FE, a phloem-specific Myb-related protein, promotes flowering through transcriptional activation of FLOWERING LOCUS T and FLOWERING LOCUS T INTERACTING PROTEIN 1. Plant J. 2015; 83(6):1059-68. DOI: 10.1111/tpj.12951. View

16.

Abelenda J, Navarro C, Prat S . Flowering and tuberization: a tale of two nightshades. Trends Plant Sci. 2013; 19(2):115-22. DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2013.09.010. View

17.

Perera P, Quintero M, Dedicova B, Kularatne J, Ceballos H . Comparative morphology, biology and histology of reproductive development in three lines of Manihot esculenta Crantz (Euphorbiaceae: Crotonoideae). AoB Plants. 2013; 5:pls046. PMC: 3551401. DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/pls046. View

18.

Zhang H, Harry D, Ma C, Yuceer C, Hsu C, Vikram V . Precocious flowering in trees: the FLOWERING LOCUS T gene as a research and breeding tool in Populus. J Exp Bot. 2010; 61(10):2549-60. DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erq092. View

19.

Ceballos H, Iglesias C, Perez J, Dixon A . Cassava breeding: opportunities and challenges. Plant Mol Biol. 2005; 56(4):503-16. DOI: 10.1007/s11103-004-5010-5. View

20.

Bredeson J, Lyons J, Prochnik S, Wu G, Ha C, Edsinger-Gonzales E . Sequencing wild and cultivated cassava and related species reveals extensive interspecific hybridization and genetic diversity. Nat Biotechnol. 2016; 34(5):562-70. DOI: 10.1038/nbt.3535. View