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Article|07 Jul 2021|OPEN
CCCH protein-PvCCCH69 acted as a repressor for leaf senescence through suppressing ABA-signaling pathway
Zheni Xie1,2 , Guohui Yu1,2 , Shanshan Lei1 and Chenchen Zhang1 , Bin Xu1 , , Bingru Huang,2 ,
1College of Agro-grassland Science, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
2Department of Plant Biology and Pathology, Rutgers the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
*Corresponding author. E-mail: xubin3021@hotmail.com,huang@sebs.rutgers.edu

Horticulture Research 8,
Article number: 165 (2021)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41438-021-00604-0
Views: 821

Received: 15 Mar 2021
Revised: 10 May 2021
Accepted: 12 May 2021
Published online: 07 Jul 2021

Abstract

CCCH is a subfamily of zinc finger proteins involved in plant growth, development, and stresses response. The function of CCCH in regulating leaf senescence, especially its roles in abscisic acid (ABA)-mediated leaf senescence is largely unknown. The objective of this study was to determine functions and mechanisms of CCCH gene in regulating leaf senescence in switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). A CCCH gene, PvCCCH69 (PvC3H69), was cloned from switchgrass. Overexpressing PvC3H69 in rice suppressed both natural senescence with leaf aging and dark-induced leaf senescence. Endogenous ABA content, ABA biosynthesis genes (NCED3, NCED5, and AAO3), and ABA signaling-related genes (SnRKs, ABI5, and ABF2/3/4) exhibited significantly lower levels in senescencing leaves of PvC3H69-OE plants than those in WT plants. PvC3H69-suppression of leaf senescence was associated with transcriptional upregulation of genes mainly involved in the light-dependent process of photosynthesis, including light-harvesting complex proteins, PSI proteins, and PSII proteins and downregulation of ABA biosynthesis and signaling genes and senescence-associated genes. PvC3H69 could act as a repressor for leaf senescence via upregulating photosynthetic proteins and repressing ABA synthesis and ABA signaling pathways.