Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 17, 2025

Investigating Interactions Between Histone Modifying Enzymes and Transcription Factors in vivo by Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer
Published on: October 14, 2022
Two polyamines -responsive WRKY transcription factors from Anoectochilus roxburghii play opposite functions on flower
Bingcong Xing1, Siqi Wan1, Liyang Su1
1Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Resources Protection and Innovation of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China.
Abstract:
Anoectochilus roxburghii is a rare and precious plant with medicinal and healthcare functions. Embryo abortion caused the lack of resources. Polyamine promoted its flowering and stress resistance in our previous study. But the mechanism remains unclear. The WRKY transcription factor family has been linked to a variety of biological processes in plants. In this study, two WRKY TFs (ArWRKY5 and ArWRKY20) of A. roxburghii, which showed significant response to Spd treatment, were identified and functionally analyzed. Tissue specific expression analyzation showed both of them mostly present in the flower. And ArWRKY5 expressed highest in the flower bud stage (-1 Flowering), while ArWRKY20 showed the highest expression in earlier flower bud stage (-2 Flowering) and the expression gradually decreased with flowering. The transcriptional activation activity assay and subcellular localization revealed that ArWRKY5 and ArWRKY20 were located in the nucleus and ArWRKY20 showed transcriptional activity. The heterologous expression of ArWRKY5 in Arabidopsis thaliana showed earlier flowering, while overexpression of ArWRKY20 delayed flowering. But the OE-ArWRKY20 lines had a robust body shape and a very significant increase in the number of rosette leaves. Furthermore, stamens and seed development were positively regulated by these two ArWRKYs. These results indicated that ArWRKY5 and ArWRKY20 not only play opposite roles in the floral development, but also regulate the plant growth and seed development in A. thaliana. But their specific biological functions and mechanism in A. roxburghii need to be investigated further.
Related Concept Videos
Background and Environment Affect Phenotype
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...
Cell Signaling in Plants
Riboswitches
The aptamer has high specificity for a particular metabolite which allows riboswitches to specifically regulate...
Gene Regulation During Sporulation
Transcription Attenuation in Prokaryotes
There are several different mechanisms used to attenuate transcription. In ribosome mediated...
Morphogenesis

