CsLAZY1 mediates shoot gravitropism and branch angle in tea plants (Camellia sinensis)

Abstract Background Branch angle is a pivotal component of tea plant architecture. Tea plant architecture not only affects tea quality and yield but also influences the efficiency of automatic tea plant pruning. However, the molecular mechanism controlling the branch angle, which is an important aspect of plant architecture, is poorly understood in tea plants. Results In the present study, three CsLAZY genes were identified from tea plant genome data through sequence homology analysis. Phylogenetic tree displayed that the CsLAZY genes had high sequence similarity with LAZY genes from other plant species, especially those in woody plants. The expression patterns of the three CsLAZYs were surveyed in eight tissues. We further verified the expression levels of the key CsLAZY1 transcript in different tissues among eight tea cultivars and found that CsLAZY1 was highly expressed in stem. Subcellular localization analysis showed that the CsLAZY1 protein was localized in the plasma membrane. CsLAZY1 was transferred into Arabidopsis thaliana to investigate its potential role in regulating shoot development. Remarkably, the CsLAZY1 overexpressed plants responded more effectively than the wild-type plants to a gravity inversion treatment under light and dark conditions. The results indicate that CsLAZY1 plays an important role in regulating shoot gravitropism in tea plants. Conclusions The results provide important evidence for understanding the functions of CsLAZY1 in regulating shoot gravitropism and influencing the stem branch angle in tea plants. This report identifies CsLAZY1 as a promising gene resource for the improvement of tea plant architecture.

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The CsLAZY1 Mediates Shoot Gravitropism and Branch Angle in Tea Plant (Camellia Sinensis)

10.21203/rs.3.rs-206850/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Xiaobo Xia ◽

Xiaozeng Mi ◽

Ling Jin ◽

Rui Guo ◽

Junyan Zhu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Camellia Sinensis ◽

Sequence Similarity ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Critical Role ◽

Tea Plant ◽

Plant Genome ◽

High Sequence Similarity ◽

Genome Data ◽

Branch Angle ◽

Shoot Gravitropism

Abstract Background: The tea plant (Camellia sinensis) architecture not only affects tea quality and yield, but also influences the efficiency of automatic pruning of tea plants. However, the molecular mechanism of branch angle that important aspect of plant architecture is poorly understood in tea plant. Results: In the present study, three CsLAZY genes were identified from the tea plant genome data through sequence homology. Phylogenetic tree displayed that the CsLAZY genes have high sequence similarity with LAZY genes from other plant species, especially those in woody plants. The expression patterns of the three CsLAZYs in eight tissues were surveyed, and we further verified the expression levels of the key CsLAZY1 transcript in different tissues among eight tea cultivars, demonstrating that CsLAZY1 was highly expressed in stem. Subcellular localization analysis showed that CsLAZY1 protein was localized in the plasma membrane. Remarkably, CsLAZY1 was transferred into Arabidopsis thaliana to investigate its potential role in regulating shoot development, demonstrating that the over-expressed plants responded more effectively than the wild types under gravity processing in light and dark. The results indicate that CsLAZY1 plays an important role in regulating shoot gravitropism in tea plant.Conclusions: The results provide evidence that CsLAZY1 may plays a critical role in regulating shoot gravitropism, and further affecting stem branch angle in tea plant.

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Identification and Expression Analyses of SBP-Box Genes Reveal Their Involvement in Abiotic Stress and Hormone Response in Tea Plant (Camellia sinensis)

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms19113404 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 19 (11) ◽

pp. 3404 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Pengjie Wang ◽

Di Chen ◽

Yucheng Zheng ◽

Shan Jin ◽

Jiangfan Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Abiotic Stress ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Tea Plant ◽

Plant Genome ◽

Plant Growth And Development ◽

Comprehensive Understanding ◽

Transcription Factor Family ◽

Squamosa Promoter Binding Protein ◽

Tea Plants

The SQUAMOSA promoter binding protein (SBP)-box gene family is a plant-specific transcription factor family. This family plays a crucial role in plant growth and development. In this study, 20 SBP-box genes were identified in the tea plant genome and classified into six groups. The genes in each group shared similar exon-intron structures and motif positions. Expression pattern analyses in five different tissues demonstrated that expression in the buds and leaves was higher than that in other tissues. The cis-elements and expression patterns of the CsSBP genes suggested that the CsSBP genes play active roles in abiotic stress responses; these responses may depend on the abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellic acid (GA), and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) signaling pathways. Our work provides a comprehensive understanding of the CsSBP family and will aid in genetically improving tea plants.

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The expression of delta opioid receptor mRNA in adult male zebra finches (Taenopygia guttata)

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0256599 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (8) ◽

pp. e0256599

Author(s):

Pooja Parishar ◽

Neha Sehgal ◽

Soumya Iyengar

Keyword(s):

Opioid Receptors ◽

Sequence Similarity ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Auditory Pathway ◽

Zebra Finches ◽

Endogenous Opioid System ◽

Endogenous Opioid ◽

High Sequence Similarity ◽

Brain Functions ◽

Song Control

The endogenous opioid system is evolutionarily conserved across reptiles, birds and mammals and is known to modulate varied brain functions such as learning, memory, cognition and reward. To date, most of the behavioral and anatomical studies in songbirds have mainly focused on μ-opioid receptors (ORs). Expression patterns of δ-ORs in zebra finches, a well-studied species of songbird have not yet been reported, possibly due to the high sequence similarity amongst different opioid receptors. In the present study, a specific riboprobe against the δ-OR mRNA was used to perform fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) on sections from the male zebra finch brain. We found that δ-OR mRNA was expressed in different parts of the pallium, basal ganglia, cerebellum and the hippocampus. Amongst the song control and auditory nuclei, HVC (abbreviation used as a formal name) and NIf (nucleus interfacialis nidopallii) strongly express δ-OR mRNA and stand out from the surrounding nidopallium. Whereas the expression of δ-OR mRNA is moderate in LMAN (lateral magnocellular nucleus of the anterior nidopallium), it is low in the MSt (medial striatum), Area X, DLM (dorsolateral nucleus of the medial thalamus), RA (robust nucleus of the arcopallium) of the song control circuit and Field L, Ov (nucleus ovoidalis) and MLd (nucleus mesencephalicus lateralis, pars dorsalis) of the auditory pathway. Our results suggest that δ-ORs may be involved in modulating singing, song learning as well as spatial learning in zebra finches.

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Functional Analyses of Flavonol Synthase Genes From Camellia sinensis Reveal Their Roles in Anther Development

Frontiers in Plant Science ◽

10.3389/fpls.2021.753131 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Yufeng Shi ◽

Xiaolan Jiang ◽

Linbo Chen ◽

Wei-Wei Li ◽

Sanyan Lai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phenolic Compounds ◽

Developmental Stages ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Reproductive Organs ◽

Tea Plant ◽

Functional Verification ◽

Metabolic Characteristics ◽

Metabolic Properties ◽

Tea Plants ◽

Functional Analyses

Flavonoids, including flavonol derivatives, are the main astringent compounds of tea and are beneficial to human health. Many researches have been conducted to comprehensively identify and characterize the phenolic compounds in the tea plant. However, the biological function of tea flavonoids is not yet understood, especially those accumulated in floral organs. In this study, the metabolic characteristics of phenolic compounds in different developmental stages of flower buds and various parts of the tea flower were investigated by using metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses. Targeted metabolomic analysis revealed varying accumulation patterns of different phenolic polyphenol compounds during flowering; moreover, the content of flavonol compounds gradually increased as the flowers opened. Petals and stamens were the main sites of flavone and flavonol accumulation. Compared with those of fertile flowers, the content of certain flavonols, such as kaempferol derivatives, in anthers of hybrid sterile flowers was significantly low. Transcriptomic analysis revealed different expression patterns of genes in the same gene family in tea flowers. The CsFLSb gene was significantly increased during flowering and was highly expressed in anthers. Compared with fertile flowers, CsFLSb was significantly downregulated in sterile flowers. Further functional verification of the three CsFLS genes indicated that CsFLSb caused an increase in flavonol content in transgenic tobacco flowers and that CsFLSa acted in leaves. Taken together, this study highlighted the metabolic properties of phenolic compounds in tea flowers and determined how the three CsFLS genes have different functions in the vegetative and reproductive organs of tea plants. Furthermore, CsFLSb could regulated flavonol biosynthesis in tea flowers, thus influencing fertility. This research is of great significance for balancing the reproductive growth and vegetative growth of tea plants.

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Low Caffeine Content in Novel Grafted Tea with Camellia sinensis as Scions and Camellia oleifera as Stocks

Natural Product Communications ◽

10.1177/1934578x1501000522 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 1934578X1501000 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Wei-Wei Deng ◽

Min Li ◽

Chen-Chen Gu ◽

Da-Xiang Li ◽

Lin-Long Ma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Camellia Sinensis ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Tea Plant ◽

Protein Accumulation ◽

Tea Leaves ◽

Qrt Pcr ◽

Caffeine Content ◽

Caffeine Synthase ◽

Specificity And Sensitivity ◽

Tea Plants

Caffeine, a purine alkaloid, is a major secondary metabolite in tea leaves. The demand for low caffeine tea is increasing in recent years, especially for health reasons. We report a novel grafted tea material with low caffeine content. The grafted tea plant had Camellia sinensis as scions and C. oleifera as stocks. The content of purine alkaloids was determined in the leaves of one-year-old grafted tea plants by HPLC. We also characterized caffeine synthase (CS), a key enzyme involved in caffeine biosynthesis in tea plants, at the expression level. The expression patterns of CS were examined in grafted and control leaves by Western blot, using a self-prepared polyclonal antibody with high specificity and sensitivity. The expression of related genes ( TCS1, tea caffeine synthase gene, GenBank accession No. AB031280; sAMS, SAM synthetase gene, AJ277206; TIDH, IMP dehydrogenase gene, EU106658) in the caffeine biosynthetic pathway was investigated by qRT-PCR. HPLC showed that the caffeine content was only 38% as compared with the non-grafted tea leaves. Immunoblotting analysis showed that CS protein decreased by half in the leaves of grafted tea plants. qRT-PCR revealed no significant changes in the expression of two genes in the upstream pathway ( sAMS and TIDH), while the expression of TCS1 was greatly decreased (50%). Taken together, these data revealed that the low caffeine content in the grafted tea leaves is due to low TCS1 expression and CS protein accumulation.

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Transcriptome and metabolite analyses provide insights into zigzag-shaped stem formation in tea plants (Camellia sinensis)

10.21203/rs.2.20459/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hongli Cao ◽

Feiquan Wang ◽

Hongzheng Lin ◽

Yijun Ye ◽

Yucheng Zheng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Plant Architecture ◽

Acid Metabolism ◽

Shoot Formation ◽

Tea Plant ◽

Vesicular Trafficking ◽

Special Trait ◽

Linoleic Acid Metabolism ◽

Phenylpropanoid Biosynthesis ◽

Plant Pathogen Interaction ◽

Tea Plants

Abstract Background: Shoot orientation is important for plant architecture formation, and zigzag-shaped shoots are a special trait found in many plants. Zigzag-shaped shoots have been selected and thoroughly studied in Arabidopsis; however, the regulatory mechanism underlying zigzag-shaped shoot development in other plants, especially woody plants, is largely unknown. Results: In this study, tea plants with zigzag-shaped shoots, namely, Qiqu (QQ) and Lianyuanqiqu (LYQQ), were investigated and compared with the erect-shoot tea plant Meizhan (MZ) in an attempt to reveal the regulation of zigzag-shaped shoot formation. Tissue section observation showed that the cell arrangement and shape of zigzag-shaped stems were aberrant compared with those of normal shoots. Moreover, a total of 2175 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified from the zigzag-shaped shoots of the tea plants QQ and LYQQ compared to the shoots of MZ using transcriptome sequencing, and the DEGs involved in the “Plant-pathogen interaction”, “Phenylpropanoid biosynthesis”, “Flavonoid biosynthesis” and “Linoleic acid metabolism” pathways were significantly enriched. Additionally, the DEGs associated with cell expansion, vesicular trafficking, phytohormones, and transcription factors were identified and analysed. Metabolomic analysis showed that 13 metabolites overlapped and were significantly changed in the shoots of QQ and LYQQ compared to MZ. Conclusions: Our results suggest that zigzag-shaped shoot formation might be associated with the gravitropism response and polar auxin transport in tea plants. This study provides a valuable foundation for further understanding the regulation of plant architecture formation and for the cultivation and application of horticultural plants in the future.

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Identification of CBF Transcription Factors in Tea Plants and a Survey of Potential CBF Target Genes under Low Temperature

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms20205137 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (20) ◽

pp. 5137 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Pengjie Wang ◽

Xuejin Chen ◽

Yongchun Guo ◽

Yucheng Zheng ◽

Chuan Yue ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Low Temperature ◽

Target Genes ◽

Expression Profiles ◽

Temperature Treatment ◽

Vital Role ◽

Tea Plant ◽

Plant Genome ◽

Cell Wall Modification ◽

Low Temperature Treatment ◽

Tea Plants

C-repeat binding factors (CBFs) are key signaling genes that can be rapidly induced by cold and bind to the C-repeat/dehydration-responsive motif (CRT/DRE) in the promoter region of the downstream cold-responsive (COR) genes, which play a vital role in the plant response to low temperature. However, the CBF family in tea plants has not yet been elucidated, and the possible target genes regulated by this family under low temperature are still unclear. In this study, we identified five CsCBF family genes in the tea plant genome and analyzed their phylogenetic tree, conserved domains and motifs, and cis-elements. These results indicate that CsCBF3 may be unique in the CsCBF family. This is further supported by our findings from the low-temperature treatment: all the CsCBF genes except CsCBF3 were significantly induced after treatment at 4 °C. The expression profiles of eight tea plant tissues showed that CsCBFs were mainly expressed in winter mature leaves, roots and fruits. Furthermore, 685 potential target genes were identified by transcriptome data and CRT/DRE element information. These target genes play a functional role under the low temperatures of winter through multiple pathways, including carbohydrate metabolism, lipid metabolism, cell wall modification, circadian rhythm, calcium signaling, transcriptional cascade, and hormone signaling pathways. Our findings will further the understanding of the stress regulatory network of CsCBFs in tea plants.

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Minimal functional domains of paralogues hnRNP L and hnRNP LL exhibit mechanistic differences in exonic splicing repression

Biochemical Journal ◽

10.1042/bj20130432 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 453 (2) ◽

pp. 271-279 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Ganesh Shankarling ◽

Kristen W. Lynch

Keyword(s):

Sequence Similarity ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Rna Recognition ◽

High Sequence Similarity ◽

Rna Recognition Motifs ◽

Hnrnp Proteins ◽

Functional Consequences ◽

Recognition Motifs ◽

Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein ◽

Specific Control

Understanding functional distinctions between related splicing regulatory proteins is critical to deciphering tissue-specific control of alternative splicing. The hnRNP (heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein) L and hnRNP LL (hnRNP L-like) proteins are paralogues that have overlapping, but distinct, expression patterns and functional consequences. These two proteins share high sequence similarity in their RRMs (RNA-recognition motifs), but diverge in regions outside of the RRMs. In the present study, we use an MS2-tethering assay to delineate the minimal domains of hnRNP L and hnRNP LL which are required for repressing exon inclusion. We demonstrate that for both proteins, regions outside the RRMs, the N-terminal region, and a linker sequence between RRMs 2 and 3, are necessary for exon repression, but are only sufficient for repression in the case of hnRNP LL. In addition, both proteins require at least one RRM for maximal repression. Notably, we demonstrate that the region encompassing RRMs 1 and 2 of hnRNP LL imparts a second silencing activity not observed for hnRNP L. This additional functional component of hnRNP LL is consistent with the fact that the full-length hnRNP LL has a greater silencing activity than hnRNP L. Thus the results of the present study provide important insight into the functional and mechanistic variations that can exist between two highly related hnRNP proteins.

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An ancient whole-genome duplication event and its contribution to flavor compounds in the tea plant (Camellia sinensis)

Horticulture Research ◽

10.1038/s41438-021-00613-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ya Wang ◽

Fei Chen ◽

Yuanchun Ma ◽

Taikui Zhang ◽

Pengchuan Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Whole Genome Duplication ◽

Genome Duplication ◽

Tea Plant ◽

Plant Evolution ◽

Plant Genome ◽

Whole Genome ◽

Biosynthesis Pathway ◽

Duplicated Genes ◽

Tandem Gene Duplication ◽

Tea Plants

AbstractTea, coffee, and cocoa are the three most popular nonalcoholic beverages in the world and have extremely high economic and cultural value. The genomes of four tea plant varieties have recently been sequenced, but there is some debate regarding the characterization of a whole-genome duplication (WGD) event in tea plants. Whether the WGD in the tea plant is shared with other plants in order Ericales and how it contributed to tea plant evolution remained unanswered. Here we re-analyzed the tea plant genome and provided evidence that tea experienced only WGD event after the core-eudicot whole-genome triplication (WGT) event. This WGD was shared by the Polemonioids-Primuloids-Core Ericales (PPC) sections, encompassing at least 17 families in the order Ericales. In addition, our study identified eight pairs of duplicated genes in the catechins biosynthesis pathway, four pairs of duplicated genes in the theanine biosynthesis pathway, and one pair of genes in the caffeine biosynthesis pathway, which were expanded and retained following this WGD. Nearly all these gene pairs were expressed in tea plants, implying the contribution of the WGD. This study shows that in addition to the role of the recent tandem gene duplication in the accumulation of tea flavor-related genes, the WGD may have been another main factor driving the evolution of tea flavor.

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Duplicated Proteasome Subunit Genes in Drosophila melanogaster Encoding Testes-Specific Isoforms

Genetics ◽

10.1093/genetics/144.1.147 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 144 (1) ◽

pp. 147-157 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Xiaoqing Yuan ◽

Mary Miller ◽

John M Belote

Keyword(s):

Drosophila Melanogaster ◽

Genomic Library ◽

Sequence Similarity ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Primary Spermatocyte ◽

Amino Acid Identity ◽

High Sequence Similarity ◽

New Genes ◽

Cell Type Specific ◽

Elongation Phase

Abstract Using the previously cloned proteasome α-type subunit gene Pros28.1, we screened a Drosophila melanogaster genomic library using reduced stringency conditions to identify closely related genes. Two new genes, Pros28.1A (map position 92F) and Pros28.IB (map position 60D7), showing high sequence similarity to Pros28.1, were identified and characterized. Pros28.1A encodes a protein with 74% amino acid identity to PROS28.1, while the Pros28.1B gene product is 58% identical. The Pros28.1B gene has two introns, located in exactly analogous positions as the two introns in Pros28.1, while the Pros28.IA gene lacks introns. Northern blot analysis reveals that the two new genes are expressed only in males, during the pupal and adult stages. Tissue-specific patterns of expression were examined using transgenic flies carrying Zacz-fusion reporter genes. This analysis revealed that both genes are expressed in germline cells during spermatogenesis, although their expression patterns differed. Pros28.1A expression is first detected at the primary spermatocyte stage and persists into the spermatid elongation phase of spermiogenesis, while Pros28. IB expression is prominent only during spermatid elongation. These genes represent the most striking example of cell-type-specific proteasome gene expression reported to date in any system and support the notion that there is structural and functional heterogeneity among proteasomes in metazoans.

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