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FveRGA1, encoding a DELLA protein, negatively regulates runner production in Fragaria vesca

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Abstract

Main conclusion

FveRGA1 was highly expressed in tender tissues such as young leaves and stem apices and was localized in the nucleus. RNAi silencing of FveRGA1 in non-runnering woodland strawberry produced many runners. FveRGA1 is thus a key gene controlling strawberry runner formation.

Abstract

The propagation of strawberry is mainly based on runners, while the genes controlling runner production have not been well characterized. Exogenous applications of optimum concentration gibberellins (GAs) promote runner formation in strawberry cultivation and GA can accelerate the degradation of DELLA proteins. To investigate whether DELLA proteins are responsible for runner production, we analyzed all the DELLA genes in Fragaria vesca and cloned a DELLA protein-encoding gene FveRGA1 in woodland strawberry using RT-PCR. Subcellular localization analysis indicated that FveRGA1 was localized in the nucleus. A transcription analysis suggested that FveRGA1 was expressed ubiquitously in all examined strawberry organs, especially in young leaves, petioles, and stem apices. RNA interference (RNAi) technology was carried out to investigate the function of FveRGA1 in woodland strawberry ‘Yellow Wonder’ (YW) and ‘Ruegen’ (RG) via an Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Interestingly, the RNAi silencing transgenic plants in the naturally non-runnering YW and RG strains produced many runners, suggesting FveRGA1 as a key gene controlling strawberry runner formation. Our study lays a solid basis for unraveling the detailed molecular mechanism of runner formation in strawberry.

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Abbreviations

RGA:

Repressor of ga1-3

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Acknowledgements

We thank Prof. Chunying Kang (Huazhong Agricultural University, China) for kindly providing all the CDS and protein sequences of the latest woodland strawberry genome. This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 31672113).

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  1. Weijia Li and Junxiang Zhang contributed equally.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, 120 Dongling Road, Shenyang, 110866, China

    Weijia Li, Junxiang Zhang, Hongying Sun, Keqin Chen, Yuexue Liu, He Li, Yue Ma & Zhihong Zhang

  2. Liaoning Key Laboratory of Strawberry Breeding and Cultivation, Shenyang Agricultural University, 120 Dongling Road, Shenyang, 110866, China

    Weijia Li, Junxiang Zhang, Hongying Sun, Shouming Wang, Yuexue Liu, He Li, Yue Ma & Zhihong Zhang

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  1. Weijia Li
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Li, W., Zhang, J., Sun, H. et al. FveRGA1, encoding a DELLA protein, negatively regulates runner production in Fragaria vesca. Planta 247, 941–951 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-017-2839-9

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