Regulation of rose petal dehydration tolerance and senescence by RhNAP transcription factor via the modulation of cytokinin catabolism

Abstract Petals and leaves share common evolutionary origins but have different phenotypic characteristics, such as the absence of stomata in petals most angiosperm species. Plant NAC transcription factor, NAP, is involved ABA responses regulates senescence-associated genes, especially those that affect stomatal movement. However, regulatory mechanisms significance NAP action senescing astomatous unclear. A major limiting factor failure flower opening accelerated senescence. Our goal to understand finely mechanism dehydration tolerance aging rose flowers. We functionally characterized RhNAP , an AtNAP -like gene induced by petals. Cytokinins (CKs) are known delay petal senescence we found a cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase 6 ( RhCKX6 ) shares similar expression patterns with . Silencing or virus silencing markedly reduced delayed Endogenous CK levels - -silenced were significantly higher than control. Moreover, was This suggests regulated Yeast one-hybrid experiments electrophoresis mobility shift assays showed binds promoter heterologous vivo system vitro, respectively. Furthermore, putative signal transduction downstream genes ABA-signaling pathways also due repression PP2C homolog Taken together, our study indicates RhNAP/RhCKX6 interaction represents step enhancing young accelerating mature stomata-independent manner.