AUTHOR=Jing Weikun , Zhao Qingcui , Zhang Shuai , Zeng Daxing , Xu Jiehua , Zhou Hougao , Wang Fenglan , Liu Yang , Li Yonghong 

TITLE=RhWRKY33 Positively Regulates Onset of Floral Senescence by Responding to Wounding- and Ethylene-Signaling in Rose Plants

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2021.726797

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2021.726797

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=As one of the most important horticultural crops, rose sales mainly dependent on long-distance transportation, usually in darkness, low temperature and without water, was easy to trigger the massive burst of exogenous ethylene production. Accompany with wounding, bring forth from post-harvest treatment, cause serious negative effects for maintaining the post-harvest quality of cut roses. However, the components involved in initial wound signal perception and transmission leading to the synthesis of ethylene are not clear. Meanwhile, the detailed molecular mechanisms of ethylene and wounding act together to regulate the onset of floral senescence remains poorly understood. In relation to this, we performed a transcriptome analysis in rose flowers after various treatments, including wound, ethylene (Eth) and dual-treatment both them (EW). Here, we identified large numbers of differentially expressed genes (DEGs), ranging from 2442 between the treatment from Eth and control (Cont), 4055 between EW and Cont. Using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), we identified RhWRKY33, a WRKY transcription factor, which was highly expressed in senescing petals as well as in rose petals treated with wound and Eth. Moreover, we found silencing of RhWRKY33 could significantly delay the senescence process under different treatments (Cont, Wound, Eth and EW). Overall, our data indicate that RhWRKY33 positively regulates the onset of floral senescence mediated by both ethylene and wound signaling, but rely heavily on ethylene signaling.