The R2R3-MYB transcription factor EVER controls the emission of petunia floral volatiles by regulating epicuticular wax biosynthesis in the petal epidermis

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelForskningfagfællebedømt

  • Oded Skaliter
  • Dominika Bednarczyk
  • Ekaterina Shor
  • Elena Shklarman
  • Ekaterina Manasherova
  • Aravena Calvo, Javiera Patricia
  • Shane Kerzner
  • Alon Cna'ani
  • Weronika Jasinska
  • Tania Masci
  • Gony Dvir
  • Orit Edelbaum
  • Ben Rimon
  • Yariv Brotman
  • Hagai Cohen
  • Alexander Vainstein

The epidermal cells of petunia (Petunia × hybrida) flowers are the main site of volatile emission. However, the mechanisms underlying the release of volatiles into the environment are still being explored. Here, using cell-layer-specific transcriptomic analysis, reverse genetics by virus-induced gene silencing and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR), and metabolomics, we identified EPIDERMIS VOLATILE EMISSION REGULATOR (EVER)-a petal adaxial epidermis-specific MYB activator that affects the emission of volatiles. To generate ever knockout lines, we developed a viral-based CRISPR/Cas9 system for efficient gene editing in plants. These knockout lines, together with transient-suppression assays, revealed EVER's involvement in the repression of low-vapor-pressure volatiles. Internal pools and annotated scent-related genes involved in volatile production and emission were not affected by EVER. RNA-Seq analyses of petals of ever knockout lines and EVER-overexpressing flowers revealed enrichment in wax-related biosynthesis genes. Liquid chromatography/gas chromatography-MS analyses of petal epicuticular waxes revealed substantial reductions in wax loads in ever petals, particularly of monomers of fatty acids and wax esters. These results implicate EVER in the emission of volatiles by fine-tuning the composition of petal epicuticular waxes. We reveal a petunia MYB regulator that interlinks epicuticular wax composition and volatile emission, thus unraveling a regulatory layer in the scent-emission machinery in petunia flowers.

OriginalsprogEngelsk
TidsskriftPlant Cell
Vol/bind36
Udgave nummer1
Sider (fra-til)174-193
Antal sider20
ISSN1040-4651
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2024

Bibliografisk note

Funding Information:
We thank Danziger—“Dan” Flower Farm for providing the plant material. We also thank Dr. Einat Zelinger and Dr. Tally Kossovsky from the Interdepartmental Equipment Unit (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel) for help with the cryogenic electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. This work was supported by the Israel Science Foundation (grant no. 2511/16). Work in A.V.'s laboratory is supported by the Chief Scientist of the Israel Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (no. 20-01-0209) as part of the National Center for Genome Editing in Agriculture. A.V. is an incumbent of the Wolfson Chair in Floriculture.

Publisher Copyright:
© American Society of Plant Biologists 2023.

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