Ethylene is a gaseous plant hormone, involving in extensive plant developmental processes such as germination, flowering, leaf and flower senescence, fruit ripening and abscission, and biotic or abiotic stress. Consequently, the study of ethylene signal pathway lasted from past decades till now. However, the published linear ethylene signal pathway was established on molecular genetics foundation with several incomplete links. According to our lab’s previous research, ERF110 (ethylene response factor) was found to contain protein phosphorylation motif that is ethylene responsive even in ethylene insensitive mutant ein2, which reminds us that ethylene signal could be conducted bypass the ethylene major regulator EIN2. In this research, Arabidopsis wild type col-0, ERF110 RNAi mu...[ Read more ]

Ethylene is a gaseous plant hormone, involving in extensive plant developmental processes such as germination, flowering, leaf and flower senescence, fruit ripening and abscission, and biotic or abiotic stress. Consequently, the study of ethylene signal pathway lasted from past decades till now. However, the published linear ethylene signal pathway was established on molecular genetics foundation with several incomplete links. According to our lab’s previous research, ERF110 (ethylene response factor) was found to contain protein phosphorylation motif that is ethylene responsive even in ethylene insensitive mutant ein2, which reminds us that ethylene signal could be conducted bypass the ethylene major regulator EIN2. In this research, Arabidopsis wild type col-0, ERF110 RNAi mutant, ethylene signal pathway components’ mutants and col-0::ERF110, col-0::ERF110A and col-0::ERF110D were employed to observe bolting time with none treatment, ACC (1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid) treatment, AOA (aminoxyacetic acid) treatment and AOA+ACC treatment respectively to validate whether ERF110 could affect flowering time. Real time PCR was also employed to detect flowering related genes.

The results showed that ERF110 RNAi mutant and over expression mutant both presented delayed flowering time, suggesting us appropriate amount of ERF110 is necessary for normal flowering process. Furthermore, this delay could be regulated by different phosphorylation status of Ser62 site in ERF110. In this research, compared to Col-0:: ERF110, the bolting time could be aggravated delayed by the non-phosphorylation status of ERF110 Ser62, and be promoted by the phosphorylated status of ERF110 Ser62.