On the cover: Pepper is widely cultivated both as a vegetable and, due to its high capsaicinoid content, as a popular spice. During domestication, breeding, and migration, various pepper fruits with different pungency, shape and color have been produced. In this issue, Cao et al. report a variome map of pepper derived from 347 germplasms belonging to 12 wild and cultivated species. They further reconstructed the footprints of pepper domestication and breeding history, and identified some genetic loci underlying important agricultural traits such as fruit orientation, fruit shape, and spicy taste. The cover image illustrates the diversity of pepper fruits, including the small, nearly round, and erect wild peppers, as well as the cultivars with varied fruit size, color, shape, weight, and orientation. Image by: Lihao Wang, Yacong Cao, Hailong Yu, Kang Zhang, Shumin Chen, Jing Chen, and Feng Cheng.
PCE:华中农大揭示干旱和低温对柑橘花诱导的分子机制
本研究旨在分析干旱和低温对柑橘成花诱导的分子机制。研究发现来自柑橘的转录因子nuclear factor YA (CiNF‐YA1)可以与CiNF‐YB2和CiNF‐YC2形成复合物结合到柑橘的CiFT的启动子上, 来激活CiFT的表达。CiNF‐YA1在幼苗期被低温和干旱诱导。过表达CiNF‐YA1导致柑橘对旱胁迫敏感，而将CiNF‐YA1沉默则会提高柑橘对干旱胁迫的耐受性。
在蛋白水平上一个 GOLDEN2−-LIKE protein (CiFE) 可以与CiFT发生互作。研究显示，CiFE可以结合到柑橘的LEAFY (CiLFY)的启动子上诱导它的表达。成花诱导时期CiNF‐YA1 和 CiFE均可被干旱和低温诱导。
本研究揭示的干旱和低温诱导柑橘开花的分子机制如下：
A model of citrus floral induction under low temperature and drought conditions
原文信息：Drought and low temperature‐induced NF‐YA1 activates FT expression to promote citrus flowering
