THE RNA-BINDING PROTEIN LRP1 MEDIATES FLOWERING TIME IN ARABIDOPSIS

In flowering plants such as <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i>, 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 <i>FLC</i> mRNA levels. <i>LRP1</i> mRNA is highly expressed in shoot apices and young leaves, while its protein is localized in the cytoplasm and nucleus. <i>lrp1</i> mutants show a late-flowering phenotype in both long-day and short-day conditions with greatly upregulated <i>FLC</i> mRNA levels. Mutations in <i>FLC</i> completely suppress the late-flowering phenotype of <i>lrp1</i>, suggesting that <i>FLC</i> is a major target of <i>LRP1</i>. LRP1 also forms a protein complex with a splicing factor, SR45, indicating that LRP1 may function together with SR45 to modulate <i>FLC</i> mRNA levels.

Author dc:creator

• HUANG QING

• LLPS
• protein interaction
• flowering promoter
• M6A
• SR45
• FLC