Scholarlink

<p>Mechanical harvesting is crucial for improving tea production efficiency, but its effectiveness is limited by leaf architecture, which affects picking integrity and bud retention. Furthermore, leaf angle is a key agronomic trait that influences canopy light interception and photosynthetic efficiency, thereby impacting yield. To identify genetic regulators of this trait, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on 108 accessions of the tea cultivar ‘Niao wang zhong’. This analysis identified <i>CsFBK</i>, a gene encoding a plasma membrane-localized F-box protein, as significantly associated with the three-leaf angle. Expression analysis revealed a consistent negative correlation between <i>CsFBK</i> transcript levels and leaf angle across multiple tea varieties. Functional validation using Virus-Induced Gene Silencing (VIGS) in tea plants confirmed that <i>CsFBK</i> knockdown increases leaf angle. Conversely, heterologous overexpression (OE) of <i>CsFBK</i> in tobacco significantly reduced leaf angle compared to wild-type controls. Our results demonstrate that <i>CsFBK</i> acts as a negative regulator of leaf inclination in tea plants. This finding provides a potential genetic target for optimizing plant architecture to enhance both mechanical harvest efficiency and yield in tea cultivation.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Functional Characterization of CsFBK, an F-Box Gene from Camellia Sinensis, Reveals its Negative Regulation of Leaf Angle in tea and Tobacco

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年2月24日

查看全文
  • Yongqing Bai,
  • Bokun Zhou,
  • Tong Li,
  • Ping Li,
  • Shiyu Tian,
  • Xinzhuan Yao,
  • Litang Lu

摘要

Mechanical harvesting is crucial for improving tea production efficiency, but its effectiveness is limited by leaf architecture, which affects picking integrity and bud retention. Furthermore, leaf angle is a key agronomic trait that influences canopy light interception and photosynthetic efficiency, thereby impacting yield. To identify genetic regulators of this trait, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on 108 accessions of the tea cultivar ‘Niao wang zhong’. This analysis identified CsFBK, a gene encoding a plasma membrane-localized F-box protein, as significantly associated with the three-leaf angle. Expression analysis revealed a consistent negative correlation between CsFBK transcript levels and leaf angle across multiple tea varieties. Functional validation using Virus-Induced Gene Silencing (VIGS) in tea plants confirmed that CsFBK knockdown increases leaf angle. Conversely, heterologous overexpression (OE) of CsFBK in tobacco significantly reduced leaf angle compared to wild-type controls. Our results demonstrate that CsFBK acts as a negative regulator of leaf inclination in tea plants. This finding provides a potential genetic target for optimizing plant architecture to enhance both mechanical harvest efficiency and yield in tea cultivation.