The basic leucine-zipper transcription factor DlbZIP36 is involved in regulating flowering in longan

作者：Jinying Wang, Zhiyi Fan, Haowei Qing, Yuyu Shi, Xiao Mo, Huiqin Guo, Chenxin Yi, Jinju Wei, Haifeng Jia, Yanqing Zhang, Haiji Qiu, Jiongzhi Xu, Jie-Chun Pan, Feng Ding, Shuwei Zhang · 发表于：Scientia Horticulturae · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.scienta.2025.114089 · 研究领域：Plant Molecular Biology Research、Plant Reproductive Biology、Plant Gene Expression Analysis

• Thirty-nine bZIP genes from Dimocarpus longan ( DlbZIPs ) were identified. • DlbZIP 36 had higher expression in petioles, and the expression was significantly enhanced by ethephon and paclobutrazol treatments. • Overexpression of DlbZIP 36 in Arabidopsis and tobacco promoted earlier flowering. • DlbZIP36 may contribute to early flowering in ‘Sijimi’ longan. Longan ( Dimocarpus longan Lour.) is a well-known subtropical fruit crop. However, the narrow harvest window seriously affects its economic benefits. Flowering time is a key factor that determines the ripening time of longan. Previous studies have demonstrated that ethephon and paclobutrazol treatment can regulate the flowering time of ‘Sijimi’ longan, and further transcriptomic analysis found that the basic leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factor family may play a key role in this regulation process. Here, to reveal the functions of bZIP proteins in ‘Sijimi’ longan, we cloned 39 DlbZIP genes identified by a genome wide domain analysis, which were designated as DlbZIP1 – 39 . Analysis of the temporal and spatial expression patterns of these genes showed that DlbZIP 36 had higher expression in petioles, and the expression was significantly enhanced by ethephon and paclobutrazol treatments. Subcellular localization analysis showed that DlbZIP36 is located in the nucleus. Finally, ectopic over-expression of DlbZIP36 in Arabidopsis resulted in earlier flowering under long day conditions, and led to higher expression of Ar...