Publications - Faculty - Recently Submitted Faculty Publications 2010
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Albrigo - Tree Physiology
Accumulation of flowering gene transcripts in Citrus sinensis during floral bud induction and initiation: Water deficit and cool temperatures effects
Eduardo J. Chica, and L. Gene Albrigo
Abstract. Citrus trees are induced to flower by exposure to either low temperatures or water deficit. In the last decade, several genes considered to be involved in the regulation of flowering have been isolated and their expression characterized in response to low temperature in Citrus. However, reports on the effect of floral-inductive water deficit on the expression of flowering-related genes are lacking. In this work, the patterns of transcript accumulation of four flowering-related genes (CsFT, CsSL1, CsAP1 and CsLFY ) from Citrus sinensis were characterized during floral induction by water deficit and cool temperature. Exposure to water deficit increased the accumulation of CsFT in leaves whereas transcript levels of CsSL1, CsAP1 and CsLFY were only slightly reduced for the duration of the treatment. When the water deficit was relieved, however, the accumulation of CsFT decreased sharply; and the accumulation of CsSL1, CsAP1 and CsLFY transcripts increased. When floral-inductive water deficit and cool temperature occurred at the same time, the increase in the accumulation of CsFT, CsAP1 and CsLFY was larger than when either occurred separately, this response was not observed in CsSL1 transcripts. These results indicate that floral-inductive water deficit and low temperatures cause a similar response in the accumulation of CsFT transcript and subsequently other flowering-related genes suggesting that these genes could be the ultimate targets of flowering signals initiated by both environmental stimuli that promote flowering in C. sinensis and possibly in other subtropical and tropical tree crops.
