Premium
The antiphasic regulatory module comprising CDF5 and its antisense RNA FLORE links the circadian clock to photoperiodic flowering
Author(s) -
Henriques Rossana,
Wang Huan,
Liu Jun,
Boix Marc,
Huang LiFang,
Chua NamHai
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/nph.14703
Subject(s) - biology , circadian clock , rna , circadian rhythm , transcription (linguistics) , chromatin , function (biology) , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , genetics , neuroscience , linguistics , philosophy
Summary Circadian rhythms of gene expression are generated by the combinatorial action of transcriptional and translational feedback loops as well as chromatin remodelling events. Recently, long noncoding RNA s (lnc RNA s) that are natural antisense transcripts ( NAT s) to transcripts encoding central oscillator components were proposed as modulators of core clock function in mammals ( Per ) and fungi ( frq / qrf ). Although oscillating lnc RNA s exist in plants, their functional characterization is at an initial stage. By screening an Arabidopsis thaliana lnc RNA custom‐made array we identified CDF 5 LONG NONCODING RNA ( FLORE ), a circadian‐regulated lnc RNA that is a NAT of CDF 5 . Quantitative real‐time RT ‐ PCR confirmed the circadian regulation of FLORE , whereas GUS ‐staining and flowering time evaluation were used to determine its biological function. FLORE and CDF 5 antiphasic expression reflects mutual inhibition in a similar way to frq / qrf . Moreover, whereas the CDF 5 protein delays flowering by directly repressing FT transcription, FLORE promotes it by repressing several CDF s ( CDF 1 , CDF 3 , CDF 5 ) and increasing FT transcript levels, indicating both cis and trans function. We propose that the CDF 5/ FLORE NAT pair constitutes an additional circadian regulatory module with conserved (mutual inhibition) and unique (function in trans ) features, able to fine‐tune its own circadian oscillation, and consequently, adjust the onset of flowering to favourable environmental conditions.