Abstract
Release of bud dormancy in perennial plants resembles vernalization in Arabidopsis thaliana and cereals. In both cases, a certain period of chilling is required for accomplishing the reproductive phase, and several transcription factors with the MADS-box domain perform a central regulatory role in these processes. The expression of DORMANCY-ASSOCIATED MADS-box (DAM)-related genes has been found to be up-regulated in dormant buds of numerous plant species, such as poplar, raspberry, leafy spurge, blackcurrant, Japanese apricot, and peach. Moreover, functional evidence suggests the involvement of DAM genes in the regulation of seasonal dormancy in peach. Recent findings highlight the presence of genome-wide epigenetic modifications related to dormancy events, and more specifically the epigenetic regulation of DAM-related genes in a similar way to FLOWERING LOCUS C, a key integrator of vernalization effectors on flowering initiation in Arabidopsis. We revise the most relevant molecular and genomic contributions in the field of bud dormancy, and discuss the increasing evidence for chromatin modification involvement in the epigenetic regulation of seasonal dormancy cycles in perennial plants.
Highlights
SEASONALITY OF BUD DORMANCY FOR ADAPTATION The vegetative and reproductive meristems of many perennial plants in temperate climates remain in a non-growing latent state during the cold period of autumn and winter, within buds, which ensure an optimal protection against low temperatures and drought
Numerous transcriptomic studies have arisen during the last few years, addressing the changes in gene expression triggered by bud dormancy events in poplar (Populus spp.; Rohde et al, 2007; Ruttink et al, 2007), raspberry (Rubus idaeus; Mazzitelli et al, 2007), leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula; Horvath et al, 2008), Japanese apricot (Prunus mume; Yamane et al, 2008; Zhong et al, 2013), grapevine (Vitis spp.; Mathiason et al, 2009; Díaz-Riquelme et al, 2012), peach (Prunus persica; Jiménez et al, 2010a; Leida et al, 2010), blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum; Hedley et al, 2010), white spruce (Picea glauca; El Kayal et al, 2011), and pear (Pyrus pyrifolia; Liu et al, 2012; Bai et al, 2013) among other perennial species
The six DORMANCY-ASSOCIATED MADS-box (DAM) genes of peach were presumably originated by serial tandem duplications from an ancestor related to the flowering transition regulator SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE (SVP) of Arabidopsis thaliana (Jiménez et al, 2009)
Summary
SEASONALITY OF BUD DORMANCY FOR ADAPTATION The vegetative and reproductive meristems of many perennial plants in temperate climates remain in a non-growing latent state during the cold period of autumn and winter, within buds, which ensure an optimal protection against low temperatures and drought. The overexpression and downregulation of PtABI3, an homolog of ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE 3 (ABI3) of Arabidopsis involved in seed dormancy regulation by ABA signaling, cause developmental alterations in bud formation and misregulation of gene expression during bud dormancy processes (Rohde et al, 2002; Ruttink et al, 2007).
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