Transcription profiles reveal the regulatory mechanisms of spur bud changes and flower induction in response to shoot bending in apple (Malus domestica Borkh.).
Shoot bending, as an effective agronomic measure, has been widely used to promote flowering in 'Fuji' apple trees. Here, we examined the transcriptional responses of genes in 'Fuji' apple buds at different flowering stages under a shoot-bending treatment using RNA sequencing. A complex genetic crosstalk-regulated network, involving abscisic acid-related genes, starch metabolism and circadian rhythm-related genes, as well as stress response-related genes, was up-regulated by shoot bending, in which were contrbuted to apple flower bud formation in response to shoot-bending conditions. Flower induction plays an important role in the apple tree life cycle, but young trees produce fewer and inferior flower buds. Shoot bending, as an effective agronomic measure, has been widely used to promote flowering in 'Fuji' apple trees. However, little is known about the gene expression network patterns and molecular regulatory mechanisms caused by shoot bending during the induced flowering. Here, we examined the transcriptional responses of genes in 'Fuji' apple buds at different flowering stages under a shoot-bending treatment using RNA sequencing. A steady up-regulation of carbon metabolism-related genes led to relatively high levels of sucrose in early induced flowering stages and starch accumulation during shoot bending. Additionally, global gene expression profiling determined that cytokinin, indole-3-acetic acid, gibberellin synthesis and signalling-related genes were significantly regulated by shoot bending, contributing to cell division and differentiation, bud growth and flower induction. A complex genetic crosstalk-regulated network, involving abscisic acid-related genes, starch metabolism- and circadian rhythm-related genes, as well as stress response-related genes, was up-regulated by shoot bending. Additionally, some transcription factor family genes that were involved in sugar, abscisic acid and stress response signalling were significantly induced by shoot bending. These important flowering genes, which were mainly involved in photoperiod, age and autonomous pathways, were up-regulated by shoot bending. Thus, a complex genetic network of regulatory mechanisms involved in sugar, hormone and stress response signalling pathways may mediate the induction of apple tree flowering in response to shoot-bending conditions.
['Xing|Libo|L|', 'Zhang|Dong|D|', 'Qi|Siyan|S|', 'Chen|Xilong|X|', 'An|Na|N|', 'Li|Youmei|Y|', 'Zhao|Caiping|C|', 'Han|Mingyu|M|', 'Zhao|Juan|J|']
D000040:Abscisic Acid D003583:Cytokinins D035264:Flowers D020869:Gene Expression Profiling D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks D005875:Gibberellins D027845:Malus D017440:Photoperiod D010937:Plant Growth Regulators D018520:Plant Shoots D015398:Signal Transduction D013312:Stress, Physiological D013395:Sucrose D014197:Trees
Flower induction Shoot bending Sugar Stress response Hormones RNA-seq ‘Nagafu No. 2’ apple trees