Transcriptional regulation of ethylene receptor and CTR genes involved in ethylene-induced flower opening in cut rose (Rosa hybrida) cv. Samantha

• Published in: Journal of experimental botany Vol. 57; no. 11; pp. 2763 - 2773
• Main Authors: Ma, Nan, Tan, Hui, Liu, Xiaohui, Xue, Jingqi, Li, Yunhui, Gao, Junping
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 01.08.2006; Oxford Publishing Limited (England)
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Biosynthesis; Cell physiology; Cut roses; Cyclopropanes - pharmacology; ethylene biosynthesis; Ethylene production; ethylene signalling; Ethylenes - biosynthesis; Ethylenes - pharmacology; flower opening; Flowers; Flowers - drug effects; Flowers - growth & development; Flowers - metabolism; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gene expression; Gene expression regulation; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Genes; Molecular and cellular biology; Petals; Plant physiology; Plant Proteins - genetics; Plant Proteins - metabolism; Plants; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases - genetics; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases - metabolism; Receptors; Receptors, Cell Surface - genetics; Receptors, Cell Surface - metabolism; Research Papers; RNA; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Rosa; Rosa - drug effects; Rosa - genetics; Rosa - metabolism; Rosa hybrida; Signal transduction; Signal Transduction - drug effects; Transcription Factors - genetics; Transcription Factors - metabolism; Flower; Rosaceae; Ethylene; ethylene biosynthesis; Biosynthesis; Gene expression; Rosa; Rosa hybrida; Gene; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Spermatophyta; flower opening; Transcription factor; ethylene signalling; Cut roses
• ISSN: 0022-0957; 1460-2431
• DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erl033

In this work, the effect of ethylene on flower opening of cut rose (Rosa hybrida) cv. Samantha was studied. However, although ethylene hastened the process of flower opening, 1-MCP (1-methylcyclopropene), an ethylene action inhibitor, impeded it. Ethylene promoted ethylene production in petals, but 1-MCP did not inhibit this process. Of the four ethylene biosynthetic genes tested, Rh-ACS1 and Rh-ACS2 were undetectable; Rh-ACS3 and Rh-ACO1 expression was enhanced by ethylene slightly and greatly, respectively. However, their mRNA amounts were not inhibited by 1-MCP compared with controls. Expression of seven signalling component genes was also studied, including three ethylene receptors (Rh-ETR1, Rh-ETR3, and Rh-ETR5), two CTRs (Rh-CTR1 and Rh-CTR2), and two transcription factors (Rh-EIN3-1 and Rh-EIN3-2). Transcripts of Rh-ETR5, Rh-EIN3-1, and Rh-EIN3-2 were accumulated in a constitutive manner and had no or little response to ethylene or 1-MCP, while transcript levels of Rh-ETR1 and Rh-CTR1 were substantially elevated by ethylene, and those of Rh-ETR3 and Rh-CTR2 were greatly enhanced by ethylene; 1-MCP reduced all the four genes to levels much less than those in control flowers. These results show that ethylene triggers physiological responses related to flower opening in cut rose cv. Samantha, and that continued ethylene perception results in flower opening. Ethylene may regulate flower opening mainly through expression of two ethylene receptor genes (Rh-ETR1 and Rh-ETR3) and two CTR (Rh-CTR1 and Rh-CTR2) genes.