Scientists explain why flowers open in spring

The research team of He Yuehui of the Shanghai Plant Adversity Biology Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences revealed the molecular mechanism of erasing "low temperature memory" early in embryonic development after flowering, activating the negative regulatory flowering FLC gene, so that the next generation will have to go through a low winter temperature before it can flower in spring. The findings were published online online in
Journal.
it is understood that in December 2016, the team reported on how model flowering plant amoeba inhibited the expression of the key gene FLC in silence during the seedling phase, and then maintained its silent (low temperature memory) at room temperature, a mechanism that allows plants to bloom in subsequent spring (springing).
the effect of springing refers to the phenomenon that some plants must go through a period of continuous low temperature in order to move from the stage of nutrient growth to the stage of reproductive growth. The analysis of this mechanism is closely related to the selection of crop cultivation season and the domestication of cross-regional introduction.
, researchers have discovered the long-term "embryonic memory" phenomenon of plant nutrition and the phenomenon of the phenomenon. The FLC bits remain closed after the plants in the seedling period experienced low winter temperatures. Even if spring temperatures pick up, the shutdown will continue into adulthood. After flowering, FLC is reactivated in the early stages of embryonic development; this "fetal" activation state is passed on to the seedlings, thus forming a "fetal memory" (like an adult's childhood memory). Because the FLC is active in the autumn seedlings (seeds germinate in autumn), this prevents plants from flowering before or during the winter.
This research reveals the new molecular mechanism of reprogramming chromatin state in early embryos of plants, and also expounds how gene activation in embryos is transmitted to the post-developmental ode genetic mechanism, which is an important breakthrough in flowering regulation molecules and genetic mechanisms.
" study not only has important theoretical significance, but also provides a new target for its production application in crop flower regulation. He Yuehui said, "Applying the results of the study to crop production can increase crop seed yields and is also important for the cultivation of seasonal flowers." (Source: Huang Xin Zhu Taili, China Science Daily)