lnc015013-CsMYB30-CsJAZ4/6 Module Co-Regulates JA Synthesis and Enhances Cold Hardiness in Tea Plants

Tea plants (Camellia sinensis) suffer growth limitations under cold stress. Jasmonic acid (JA) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in stress responses, yet how lncRNAs regulate JA-mediated cold tolerance remains unclear. Here, we identified an lncRNA, lnc015013, whose silencing compromised cold tolerance in tea plants, a phenotype rescued by exogenous methyl jasmonate (MeJA). Silencing lnc015013 down-regulated CsMYB30 and CsJAZ4/6, while its overexpression had opposite effects. Heterologous expression in Arabidopsis thaliana showed that CsMYB30 enhanced cold resistance, whereas CsJAZ4/6 suppressed it. Mechanistically, CsMYB30 repressed CsJAZ4/6 promoter activity and physically interacted with CsJAZ4/6, with MeJA attenuating this interaction. These findings reveal that the lnc015013-CsMYB30-CsJAZ4/6 module regulates JA biosynthesis within the JA signaling pathway, providing a novel mechanism for cold adaptation in tea plants and a theoretical basis for molecular breeding.