Abstract
CUP-SHAPED COTYLEDON (CUC) transcription factors have a central regulatory function in plant growth and development. However, their involvement in kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) remains largely unexplored. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis to identify six HcCUC genes in the kenaf genome. Through bioinformatic analysis, we found that the kenaf HcCUC genes share similar motifs and highly conserved gene structures. Phylogenetic analysis categorized the six HcCUC genes into two groups, that shared similarities with CUC2 or CUC3 genes from other species. Collinearity analysis revealed the formation of 6 syntenic gene pairs among the HcCUC genes, and 8 homologous gene pairs with three AtCUC genes from Arabidopsis. To investigate tissue-specific expression, we analyzed transcriptome data, that showed differential expression of HcCUC genes, particularly in leaves during the seedling stage, buds during the maturation stage, and anthers at the dual-core period. Functional characterization of HcCUC1 was achieved through its overexpression in Arabidopsis, resulting in elongated cotyledons, absent of petioles and increased number of rosette leaf and lateral branches. qRT-PCR analysis revealed that HcCUC1 potentially influences leaf and lateral branch development by up-regulating the expression of auxin-related genes (AtYUC2, AtYUC4, AtPIN1, AtPIN3, AtPIN4) and leaf shape-related genes (AtKNAT2, AtKNAT6). Notably, overexpression of HcCUC1 down-regulated the expression of flowering-related genes (AtFT, AtAP1, AtLFY, AtFUL), causing delayed flowering. Overall, our findings emphasize the pivotal role of HcCUC1 in regulating leaf and lateral branch growth, development, and flowering time, provide valuable insights into the function and genetic regulation of HcCUC genes.
Key message
Six HcCUC genes were identified in the kenaf genome, with HcCUC1 playing a role in regulating leaf and lateral branch growth and development, as well as flowering time.
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Data availability
The data generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
This research work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 31960368).
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QW: Data curation; Methodology, Formal analysis, Roles/Writing - original draft. CC; JY: Investigation, Formal analysis. SM: Writing-review & editing.SC; XL: Investigation, Data curation, Formal analysis. MW; HZ: Software, Methodology, Formal analysis. XW; CW; DL: Formal analysis, Validation. PC: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing-review & editing, Funding acquisition, Project administration.
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Communicated by Manoj Prasad.
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Wu, Q., Chen, C., Yue, J. et al. Genome-wide identification of CUC gene family and functional analysis of HcCUC1 in kenaf. Plant Cell Tiss Organ Cult 155, 91–102 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11240-023-02555-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11240-023-02555-x