THE RNA-BINDING PROTEIN LRP1 MEDIATES FLOWERING TIME IN ARABIDOPSIS
In flowering plants such as Arabidopsis thaliana, floral transition is tightly regulated by a complex network of genetic pathways. FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC), a MADS-box transcription factor, is a strong repressor of this flowering process, intricately controlled by several genetic pathways, including the autonomous pathway. We show that LATE FLOWERING RNA-BINDING PROTEIN 1 (LRP1), an RNA-binding protein, promotes flowering through modulating FLC mRNA levels. LRP1 mRNA is highly expressed in shoot apices and young leaves, while its protein is localized in the cytoplasm and nucleus. lrp1 mutants show a late-flowering phenotype in both long-day and short-day conditions with greatly upregulated FLC mRNA levels. Mutations in FLC completely suppress the late-flowering phenotype of lrp1, suggesting that FLC is a major target of LRP1. LRP1 also forms a protein complex with a splicing factor, SR45, indicating that LRP1 may function together with SR45 to modulate FLC mRNA levels.
LLPS, protein interaction, flowering promoter, M6A, SR45, FLC
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