Tree Genetics and Molecular Breeding 2025, Vol.15, No.3, 89-97 http://genbreedpublisher.com/index.php/tgmb 89 Research Insight Open Access Identification and Functional Validation of Key Genes Regulating Flowering Time in Tea Jie Huang 1, Minghui Zhao 1, Jiayao Zhou 2 1 Tropical Medicinal Plant Research Center, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resources, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China 2 Cuixi Academy of Biotechnology, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China Corresponding email: jiayao.zhou@cuixi.org Tree Genetics and Molecular Breeding, 2025, Vol.15, No.3 doi: 10.5376/tgmb.2025.15.0011 Received: 10 Apr., 2025 Accepted: 13 May, 2025 Published: 21 May, 2025 Copyright © 2025 Huang et al., This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Huang J., Zhao M.H., and Zhou J.Y., 2025, Identification and functional validation of key genes regulating flowering time in tea, Tree Genetics and Molecular Breeding, 15(3): 89-97 (doi: 10.5376/tgmb.2025.15.0011) Abstract This study discusses the genetic basis and molecular mechanism of when tea plants flower, and summarizes the progress made in identifying and verifying key genes, such as transcription factors, genes in hormone signaling pathways, and genes that can integrate flowering signals. Research has found that some major regulatory genes, such as FT, SOC1, GI and CO, play a key role in integrating light duration and temperature signals. Some non-coding RNAs, such as miRNA and lncRNA, are also involved in the detailed regulation of flowering time. Gene editing tools like CRISPR-Cas9 have also begun to be used to verify the functions of these genes. This study aims to provide a foundation for molecular breeding of tea plants, enabling people to more accurately control the flowering time and thereby increase yield and planting efficiency. Keywords Tea (Camellia sinensis); Flowering time; Gene regulation; Non-coding RNA; Functional validation 1 Introduction The tea (Camellia sinensis) is an important economic crop. When it flowers will directly affect the formation of seeds, the progress of breeding and the yield of tea (Liu, 2024). If the flowering time is appropriate, it can not only balance the growth and fruiting of tea, but also improve the success rate of pollination and increase the number of seeds, thereby making the yield of tea gardens higher (Lin et al., 2022; Naik et al., 2025). However, flowering consumes a lot of water and nutrients. If tea flower too early or too late, it may affect normal growth and eventually lead to a decline in tea quality and yield (Tian et al., 2021; Xu et al., 2022). Tea is perennial plants, which are different from annual crops. Its flowering time is influenced by many factors, such as genetics, hormone levels, light duration, temperature and nutrition, etc. (Fan et al., 2024; Naik et al., 2025). Weather changes, low temperatures in winter or rain may all cause unstable flowering time of tea, thereby affecting the yield (Lin et al., 2022; Fan et al., 2024). In addition, the flowering of tea is also closely related to the dormancy of winter buds. Currently, scientists are still studying the signals and genes involved (Liu et al., 2022; Xu et al., 2022). Although exogenous hormones or chemical agents can regulate the flowering period, the working principles and safety of these methods are not yet clear (Ionescu et al., 2016; Lin et al., 2022). This study identified some key genes that affect the flowering time of tea, conducted functional verification on them, and combined transcriptome analysis, hormone signaling pathways and experimental verification to find out the important factors regulating the flowering period. These findings are helpful for better controlling the flowering time of tea. This study aims to provide theoretical support and molecular tools for future breeding and increased production. 2 Biological Basis of Flowering in Tea Plants 2.1 Floral transition phases in Camellia sinensis The flowering process of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis) generally includes several stages: flower induction, flower bud differentiation and flower organ differentiation. Through morphological observation, researchers can clearly distinguish the time points of flower induction and flower bud differentiation. The gene expression of different varieties varies at these stages. At present, many genes related to flowering have been identified, such as
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ4ODYzNA==