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The Vaccinium corymbosum FLOWERING LOCUS T-like gene (VcFT): a flowering activator reverses photoperiodic and chilling requirements in blueberry

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Abstract

Key message

The blueberry FLOWERING LOCUS T ( FT )-like gene ( VcFT ) cloned from the cDNA of a tetraploid, northern highbush blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum L.) is able to reverse the photoperiodic and chilling requirements and drive early and continuous flowering.

Abstract

Blueberry is a woody perennial bush with a longer juvenile period than annual crops, requiring vernalization to flower normally. Few studies have been reported on the molecular mechanism of flowering in blueberry or other woody plants. Because FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) from Arabidopsis thaliana plays a multifaceted role in generating mobile molecular signals to regulate plant flowering time, isolation and functional analysis of the blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) FT-like gene (VcFT) will facilitate the elucidation of molecular mechanisms of flowering in woody plants. Based on EST sequences, a 525-bpVcFT was identified and cloned from the cDNA of a tetraploid, northern highbush blueberry cultivar, Bluecrop. Ectopic expression of 35S:VcFT in tobacco induced flowering an average of 28 days earlier than wild-type plants. Expression of the 35S:VcFT in the blueberry cultivar Aurora resulted in an extremely early flowering phenotype, which flowered not only during in vitro culture, a growth stage when nontransgenic shoots had not yet flowered, but also in 6–10-week old, soil-grown transgenic plants, in contrast to the fact that at least 1 year and 800 chilling hours are required for the appearance of the first flower of both nontransgenic ‘Aurora’ and transgenic controls with the gusA. These results demonstrate that the VcFT is a functional floral activator and overexpression of the VcFT is able to reverse the photoperiodic and chilling requirements and drive early and continuous flowering.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Qian Ma for assisting with q-PCR analysis, Britton F. Hildebrandt and Michael Leasia for assisting with the data collection, and W. Vance Baird for his critical review of the manuscript. This research was partially supported by MSU Project GREEEN (Generating Research and Extension to Meet Economic and Environmental Needs).

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  1. Plant Biotechnology Resource and Outreach Center, Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    Guo-qing Song, Aaron Walworth, Dongyan Zhao, Ning Jiang & James F. Hancock

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  1. Guo-qing Song
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  2. Aaron Walworth
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  3. Dongyan Zhao
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  4. Ning Jiang
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Correspondence to Guo-qing Song.

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Communicated by A. Dhingra.

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Song, Gq., Walworth, A., Zhao, D. et al. The Vaccinium corymbosum FLOWERING LOCUS T-like gene (VcFT): a flowering activator reverses photoperiodic and chilling requirements in blueberry. Plant Cell Rep 32, 1759–1769 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-013-1489-z

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