ISHS Acta Horticulturae 1398: VIII International Symposium on Edible Alliums
Diurnal changes in gene expression that relate to bulb development in onion cultivars |
| Authors: | T. Ishii, H. Ikeda |
| Keywords: | AcFT, AcGI, Allium cepa L., day length response, overwinter cultivation |
| DOI: | 10.17660/ActaHortic.2024.1398.7 |
| Abstract:
Bulb size is an important factor in onion (Allium cepa L.) productivity, and bulb development in onion cultivars is controlled by day length, being induced and enhanced under long day lengths and inhibited under short ones. In previous studies, these responses have been characterized at the genetic level. The expression of AcFT1, which encodes a FLOWERING LOCUS T-like protein for bulb development, is upregulated under long day lengths and downregulated under short day lengths, while the expression of AcFT4, which promotes leaf initiation and suppresses bulb development, displays the opposite behavior. Furthermore, GIGANTEA (AcGI) has been identified as a candidate gene for day length responses in onion cultivars. In this study, we analyzed the expressions of AcFT1, AcFT4, and AcGI in the cultivar ‘Momiji No. 3’ to identify the diurnal changes in their levels of expression. Overwinter cultivation was employed to grow ‘Momiji No. 3’ in the field and gene expression was analyzed in January, March, and May of 2020. Relatively high levels of AcFT4 and AcGI expression were identified on March at 4 pm local time – approximately 10 h after sunrise. In May, AcGI also exhibited a relatively high degree of expression at 4 pm local time – approximately 11 h after sunrise. However, in our experiment, no obvious diurnal changes in AcFT1 expression were observed. | |
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