The Function Analysis Of Ethylene-Responsive Transcription Factors In The Senescence Process Of Rose Flowers

Rose is the most important cut flowers in the world,and ethylene is one of the important factors that affect flower senescence.Reactive Oxygen Species(ROS)widely participate in signal transmission,also played a key role in the process of flower senescence.However,the signal transmission between ethylene and ROS is not clear.Screening and identification of the transcription factors that response to ethylene and regulate the level of ROS,become an important issue to shed light on the molecular mechanism of how ethylene regulates flower senescence in roses.Based on the gene expression profile that response to ethylene in rose petals,we selected seven ethylene-responsive genes,whose expression was significantly changed during the senescence process of roses,through microarray data analysis,semi-quantitative PCR and qRT-PCR.Overexpression of candidate genes in Nicotiana tabacum showed that compared with vector,RU03393 and RU03429 significantly reduced the activity of SOD enzyme.By using Virus-Induced Gene Silencing(VIGS)technology,RU03393 and RU03429 were silenced in rose petals.According to the petals phenotypic observation and determination of some physiological index,like SOD enzyme activity,soluble protein content,ion permeability,it showed that silencing of RU03393 and RU03429 delayed the ageing process of rose petals.And,overexpression of RU03393 and RU03429 in rose petals significantly accelerated senescence process of rose petals.These results supported some evidence of signal transduction between ethylene-transcription factors-antioxidant enzymes,and provided a better understanding of the mechanism underlying ethylene-regulated flower senescence in roses.