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The HY5-T5H1 Transcriptional Regulatory Module Enhances Chilling Stress by Promoting Serotonin Accumulation in Sea
Ning Chen1, Guoyun Zhang1, Lieding Zhou1
1State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding & Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China.
None:
Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) is a typical cold-tolerant woody plant enriched in serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT), yet the molecular basis of its chilling adaptation remains largely unclear. Here, we show that the exogenous application of serotonin significantly enhanced seedling growth and survival under 4 °C stress. Chilling stress markedly induced the expression of HrT5H1, a key gene encoding an enzyme involved in serotonin biosynthesis. Y1H, dual-luciferase reporter, and EMSA assays demonstrated that the bZIP transcription factor HrHY5 directly binds to and activates the HrT5H1 promoter. Overexpression of HrHY5 or HrT5H1 in tobacco and sea buckthorn hairy roots promoted endogenous serotonin accumulation, alleviated ROS damage, and improved cold tolerance. These findings establish the HrHY5-HrT5H1 regulatory module as a key mechanism underlying serotonin-mediated chilling resistance, providing new insights into the molecular basis of cold adaptation in woody plants.
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