AUTHOR=Li Ping , Zhang Qin , Shi Baosheng , Liu Liu , Zhang Xiaoman , Wang Jia , Yi Haihui 

TITLE=Integration of genome and transcriptome reveal molecular regulation mechanism of early flowering trait in Prunus genus (Prunus mume and Prunus persica)

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2022.1036221

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2022.1036221

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=Flowering time is crucial for the survival and reproduction of offspring. Prunus genus belongs to the Rosaceae family and includes several hundred species of flowering trees and shrubs with important ornamental and economic value. However, the molecular mechanism underlying early flowering in Prunus genus is unclear. Here, we utilized the genome and transcriptome of P. mume and P. persica to explore the transcriptional regulation mechanism of early flowering. Comparative genomics found that genes accounting for 92.4% of the total P. mume genome and 91.2% of the total P. persica genome belonged to orthogroups. 19,169 orthogroups were found between P. mume and P. persica, including 20,431 corresponding orthologues and 20,080 collinearity gene pairs. A total of 305 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with early flowering were found, among which FT, TLI65, and NAP57 genes played the hub role in the molecular interaction network regulating early flowering. We identified twenty-five transcription factors (TFs) covering nine protein families, including MADS-box, AP2/ERF, and MYB. Our results provide insight into the underlying molecular model of regulating flowering time in Prunus genus and highlight the utility of multi-omics in deciphering the properties of the inter-genus plants.