Arabidopsis NUCLEAR FACTOR Y A8 inhibits the juvenile-to-adult transition by activating transcription of MIR156s.

Hang Zhao, Ke Lin, Lin Ma, Qingshuai Chen, Shuo Gan, Gang Li

Journal of experimental botany 2020 Aug 06

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Vegetative (juvenile-to-adult) and flowering (vegetative-to-reproductive) phase changes are crucial in the life cycle of higher plants. MicroRNA156 (miR156) and its target SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) genes are master regulators that determine vegetative phase changes. The miR156 level gradually declines as a plant ages and its expression is rapidly repressed by sugar. However, the underlying regulatory mechanism of transcriptional regulation of the MIR156 gene remains largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that Arabidopsis NUCLEAR FACTOR Y A8 (NF-YA8) binds directly to CCAAT cis-elements in the promoters of multiple MIR156 genes, thus activating their transcription and inhibiting the juvenile-to-adult transition. NF-YA8 was highly expressed in juvenile-stage leaves, and significantly repressed with developmental age and by sugar signals. Our results suggest that NF-YA8 acts as a signaling hub, integrating internal developmental age and sugar signals to regulate the transcription of MIR156s, thus affecting the juvenile-to-adult and flowering transitions. © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Citation

Hang Zhao, Ke Lin, Lin Ma, Qingshuai Chen, Shuo Gan, Gang Li. Arabidopsis NUCLEAR FACTOR Y A8 inhibits the juvenile-to-adult transition by activating transcription of MIR156s. Journal of experimental botany. 2020 Aug 06;71(16):4890-4902