Core clock genes adjust growth cessation time to day-night switches in poplar

Daniel Alique, Arturo Redondo López, Nahuel González Schain, Isabel Allona, Krzysztof Wabnik () and Mariano Perales ()
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Daniel Alique: Campus de Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcón
Arturo Redondo López: Campus de Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcón
Nahuel González Schain: Campus de Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcón
Isabel Allona: Campus de Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcón
Krzysztof Wabnik: Campus de Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcón
Mariano Perales: Campus de Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcón

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Poplar trees use photoperiod as a precise seasonal indicator, synchronizing plant phenology with the environment. Daylength cue determines FLOWERING LOCUS T 2 (FT2) daily expression, crucial for shoot apex development and establishment of the annual growing period. However, limited evidence exists for the molecular factors controlling FT2 transcription and the conservation with the photoperiodic control of Arabidopsis flowering. We demonstrate that FT2 expression mediates growth cessation response quantitatively, and we provide a minimal data-driven model linking core clock genes to FT2 daily levels. GIGANTEA (GI) emerges as a critical inducer of the FT2 activation window, time-bound by TIMING OF CAB EXPRESSION (TOC1) and LATE ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL (LHY2) repressions. CRISPR/Cas9 loss-of-function lines validate these roles, identifying TOC1 as a long-sought FT2 repressor. Additionally, model simulations predict that FT2 downregulation upon daylength shortening results from a progressive narrowing of this activation window, driven by the phase shift observed in the preceding clock genes. This circadian-mediated mechanism enables poplar to exploit FT2 levels as an accurate daylength-meter.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46081-6

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