匈牙利科学家利用Imetos设备进行杏树物候研究，科学家发表了题为Identification, Structural and Functional Characterization of Dormancy Regulator Genes in Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.)的文章，文章发表在Front. Plant Sci., 05 April 2019 

Identification, Structural and Functional Characterization of Dormancy Regulator Genes in Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.)

Eszter Balogh1,Júlia Halász1, Alexandra Soltész2, Zsolt Erös-Honti3, Ádám Gutermuth1,László Szalay4, Mária Höhn3, Attila Vágújfalvi2, Gábor Galiba2,5 and Attila Hegedüs1*

1Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Horticultural Science, Szent István University, Budapest, Hungary

2Department of Plant Molecular Biology, Agricultural Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Martonvásár, Hungary

3Department of Botany and Soroksár Botanical Garden, Faculty of Horticultural Science, Szent István University, Budapest, Hungary

4Department of Pomology, Faculty of Horticultural Science, Szent István University, Budapest, Hungary

5Festetics Doctoral School, Georgikon Faculty, University of Pannonia, Keszthely, Hungary

Determination of Chilling Requirements and Flowering Dates

In the present study, we identified and characterized the apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) homologs of three dormancy-related genes, namely the ParCBF1 (C-repeat binding factor), ParDAM5 (dormancy-associated MADS-BOX) and ParDAM6 genes. All highly conserved structural motifs and the 3D model of the DNA-binding domain indicate an unimpaired DNA-binding ability of ParCBF1. A phylogenetic analysis showed that ParCBF1 was most likely homologous to Prunus mume and Prunus dulcis CBF1. ParDAM5 also contained all characteristic domains of the type II (MIKCC) subfamily of MADS-box transcription factors. The homology modeling of protein domains and a phylogenetic analysis of ParDAM5 suggest its functional integrity. The amino acid positions or small motifs that are diagnostic characteristics of DAM5 and DAM6 were determined. For ParDAM6, only a small part of the cDNA was sequenced, which was sufficient for the quantification of gene expression. The expression of ParCBF1 showed close association with decreasing ambient temperatures in autumn and winter. The expression levels of ParDAM5 and ParDAM6 changed according to CBF1 expression rates and the fulfillment of cultivar chilling requirements (CR). The concomitant decrease of gene expression with endodormancy release is consistent with a role of ParDAM5 and ParDAM6 genes in dormancy induction and maintenance. Cultivars with higher CR and delayed flowering time showed higher expression levels of ParDAM5 and ParDAM6 toward the end of endodormancy. Differences in the timing of anther developmental stages between early- and late-flowering cultivars and two dormant seasons confirmed the genetically and environmentally controlled mechanisms of dormancy release in apricot generative buds. These results support that the newly identified apricot gene homologs have a crucial role in dormancy-associated physiological mechanisms.

Hourly air temperatures were measured by a PT100 1/3 Class B temperature sensor with ± 1◦C accuracy as implemented in the iMETOSR IMT200 (Pessl Instruments, Weiz, Austria) automatic weather station. The instrument was located in an open area within 400 m of the orchard. The amount of cold received by the plants were quantifified using the chill units of the Utah model (Richardson et al., 1974) and portions of the Dynamic model (Fishman et al., 1987). The date of breaking endodormancy was determined by forcing apricot branches with approximately 100 buds/cultivar according to the method described by Ruiz et al. (2007).Flowering date was recorded when 50% of 500 tested flflower buds were open.