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Non-coding regulation in seasonal flowering control - Insights from FLC
Mélanie Ormancey1, Julia I Qüesta1
1Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
Current Opinion in Plant Biology
|December 13, 2025
Summary
Plants use vernalization to flower after cold exposure, regulated by FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC). Non-coding variants impact FLC expression, influencing flowering time and crop improvement for climate change adaptation.
Area of Science:
- Plant biology
- Genetics
- Evolutionary biology
Background:
- Plants adapt to environmental changes, with temperature crucial for development.
- Vernalization, triggered by cold, enables flowering in favorable conditions.
- FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) is a key floral repressor in Arabidopsis thaliana.
Purpose of the Study:
- Summarize recent advances in the genetic basis of vernalization.
- Focus on how non-coding polymorphisms affect FLC expression and long non-coding RNAs.
- Understand the molecular basis of phenological diversity and its evolutionary dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Review of genetic studies on vernalization.
- Analysis of non-coding polymorphisms influencing FLC regulation.
- Comparative genomics of FLC homologs in Brassicaceae.
Main Results:
- Non-coding polymorphisms alter FLC transcript accumulation and long non-coding RNA expression.
- These variations affect vernalization requirement and efficiency.
- Quantitative FLC expression variation shapes life-history strategies in Arabidopsis relatives.
Conclusions:
- Naturally occurring non-coding variants reconfigure FLC cis-regulatory landscapes.
- Insights illuminate the molecular basis of phenological diversity and flowering time evolution.
- Understanding these mechanisms offers targets for crop improvement under climate change.
Keywords:
Cold temperatureFLOWERING LOCUS CFlowering timeLife historyLong non-coding RNAsNon-coding polymorphismsSeasonalityVernalizationMore Related Videos
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