title: Integration of Hormonal and Nutritional Cues Orchestrates Progressive Corolla Opening.
abstract: Flower opening is essential for pollination and thus successful sexual reproduction; however, the underlying mechanisms of its timing control remain largely elusive. We identify a unique cucumber (Cucumis sativus) line '6457' that produces normal ovaries when nutrients are under-supplied, and super ovaries (87%) with delayed corolla opening when nutrients are oversupplied. Corolla opening in both normal and super ovaries is divided into four distinct phases, namely the green bud, green-yellow bud, yellow bud, and flowering stages, along with progressive color transition, cytological tuning, and differential expression of 14,282 genes. In the super ovary, cell division and cell expansion persisted for a significantly longer period of time; the expressions of genes related to photosynthesis, protein degradation, and signaling kinases were dramatically up-regulated, whereas the activities of most transcription factors and stress-related genes were significantly down-regulated; concentrations of cytokinins (CKs) and gibberellins were higher in accordance with reduced cytokinin conjugation and degradation and increased expression of gibberellin biosynthesis genes. Exogenous CK application was sufficient for the genesis of super ovaries, suggesting a decisive role of CKs in controlling the timing of corolla opening. Furthermore, 194 out of 11,127 differentially expressed genes identified in pairwise comparisons, including critical developmental, signaling, and cytological regulators, contained all three types of cis-elements for CK, nitrate, and phosphorus responses in their promoter regions, indicating that the integration of hormone modulation and nutritional regulation orchestrated the precise control of corolla opening in cucumber. Our findings provide a valuable framework for dissecting the regulatory pathways for flower opening in plants.
authors.affiliation: College of Horticulture Science and Technology (C.S., M.L., Xi.L., L.Y.) and Analysis and Testing Centre (X.S.), Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao 066004, China;Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201602, China (Y.L., R.L.);Department of Vegetable Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China (W.Z., X.Z.); andDepartment of Plant Nutrition, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China (Xu.L.).
authors.forename: Chengzhen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: College of Horticulture Science and Technology (C.S., M.L., Xi.L., L.Y.) and Analysis and Testing Centre (X.S.), Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao 066004, China;Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201602, China (Y.L., R.L.);Department of Vegetable Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China (W.Z., X.Z.); andDepartment of Plant Nutrition, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China (Xu.L.).
authors.forename: Yanqiang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Horticulture Science and Technology (C.S., M.L., Xi.L., L.Y.) and Analysis and Testing Centre (X.S.), Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao 066004, China;Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201602, China (Y.L., R.L.);Department of Vegetable Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China (W.Z., X.Z.); andDepartment of Plant Nutrition, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China (Xu.L.).
authors.forename: Wensheng
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: College of Horticulture Science and Technology (C.S., M.L., Xi.L., L.Y.) and Analysis and Testing Centre (X.S.), Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao 066004, China;Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201602, China (Y.L., R.L.);Department of Vegetable Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China (W.Z., X.Z.); andDepartment of Plant Nutrition, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China (Xu.L.).
authors.forename: Xiaofei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: College of Horticulture Science and Technology (C.S., M.L., Xi.L., L.Y.) and Analysis and Testing Centre (X.S.), Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao 066004, China;Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201602, China (Y.L., R.L.);Department of Vegetable Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China (W.Z., X.Z.); andDepartment of Plant Nutrition, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China (Xu.L.).
authors.forename: Man
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: College of Horticulture Science and Technology (C.S., M.L., Xi.L., L.Y.) and Analysis and Testing Centre (X.S.), Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao 066004, China;Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201602, China (Y.L., R.L.);Department of Vegetable Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China (W.Z., X.Z.); andDepartment of Plant Nutrition, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China (Xu.L.).
authors.forename: Xiaoli
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Horticulture Science and Technology (C.S., M.L., Xi.L., L.Y.) and Analysis and Testing Centre (X.S.), Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao 066004, China;Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201602, China (Y.L., R.L.);Department of Vegetable Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China (W.Z., X.Z.); andDepartment of Plant Nutrition, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China (Xu.L.).
authors.forename: Xuexian
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Horticulture Science and Technology (C.S., M.L., Xi.L., L.Y.) and Analysis and Testing Centre (X.S.), Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao 066004, China;Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201602, China (Y.L., R.L.);Department of Vegetable Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China (W.Z., X.Z.); andDepartment of Plant Nutrition, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China (Xu.L.) zhxiaolan@cau.edu.cn ryliu@sibs.ac.cn yanliying66@126.com.
authors.forename: Renyi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: College of Horticulture Science and Technology (C.S., M.L., Xi.L., L.Y.) and Analysis and Testing Centre (X.S.), Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao 066004, China;Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201602, China (Y.L., R.L.);Department of Vegetable Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China (W.Z., X.Z.); andDepartment of Plant Nutrition, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China (Xu.L.) zhxiaolan@cau.edu.cn ryliu@sibs.ac.cn yanliying66@126.com.
authors.forename: Liying
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: College of Horticulture Science and Technology (C.S., M.L., Xi.L., L.Y.) and Analysis and Testing Centre (X.S.), Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, Qinhuangdao 066004, China;Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201602, China (Y.L., R.L.);Department of Vegetable Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China (W.Z., X.Z.); andDepartment of Plant Nutrition, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China (Xu.L.) zhxiaolan@cau.edu.cn ryliu@sibs.ac.cn yanliying66@126.com.
authors.forename: Xiaolan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D018553:Cucumis sativus / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D035264:Flowers / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000187:drug effects; D063990:Gene Ontology; D017343:Genes, Plant; D008954:Models, Biological; D009566:Nitrates / Q000378:metabolism; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000187:drug effects*; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000378:metabolism; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA; D013997:Time Factors; D059467:Transcriptome / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D009566:Nitrates; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D010758:Phosphorus