CsPRR7 negatively regulates cold tolerance by repressing CsCBF3 in tea plants
Jie Wang1,2, Yongheng Zhang1,2, Yedie Wu1,2
1Key Laboratory of Biology, Genetics and Breeding of Special Economic Animals and Plants, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, National Center for Tea Plant Improvement, Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, 310008, Zhejiang, China.
Plant Cell Reports
|April 1, 2026
Summary
Tea plants
Area of Science:
- Plant biology
- Molecular genetics
- Circadian rhythms
Background:
- Tea plants face significant damage from low temperatures, impacting spring tea quality.
- Circadian clock genes, like PSEUDO RESPONSE REGULATOR (PRR) genes, are crucial for plant adaptation to environmental changes.
- The role of CsPRRs in tea plant cold tolerance and their regulatory mechanisms are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the function of CsPRR7, a tea plant circadian clock component, in response to low-temperature stress.
- To elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which CsPRR7 regulates cold tolerance in tea plants.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of CsPRR7 expression patterns under normal and low-temperature conditions.
- Investigating the effect of CsPRR7 manipulation (silencing and overexpression) on tea plant cold tolerance.
- Employing yeast one-hybrid and dual-luciferase assays to determine the interaction between CsPRR7 and the CsCBF3 promoter.
Main Results:
- CsPRR7 expression shows a distinct circadian rhythm, suppressed by low temperatures.
- Transient silencing of CsPRR7 improved cold tolerance, while overexpression reduced it.
- CsPRR7 directly inhibits the transcription of CsCBF3 by binding to its promoter region.
Conclusions:
- CsPRR7 functions as a negative regulator of cold tolerance in tea plants.
- This regulation occurs through a C-repeat (CRT)/dehydration-responsive element (DRE)-binding factor (CBF)-dependent pathway.
- Understanding CsPRR7's role provides insights into improving tea plant resilience to cold stress.
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