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Article|01 Apr 2021|OPEN
StRAP2.3, an ERF‐VII transcription factor, directly activates StInvInh2 to enhance cold-induced sweetening resistance in potato
Weiling Shi1,2 , Yuhao Song1 , Tiantian Liu2 , Qiuqin Ma1 , Wang Yin1 , Yuchen Shen1 , Tengfei Liu2 , Chunyan Jiang1 , Kai Zhang1 , Dianqiu Lv1 , Jichun Wang1 , and Botao Song2 , , Xun Liu,1 ,
1Chongqing Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Breeding for Tuber and Root Crops; College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, 400715 Chongqing, People’s Republic of China
2Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (HZAU), Ministry of Education; Key Laboratory of Potato Biology and Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
*Corresponding author. E-mail: wjchun@swu.edu.cn,songbotao@mail.hzau.edu.cn,liuxun828@swu.edu.cn

Horticulture Research 8,
Article number: 82 (2021)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41438-021-00522-1
Views: 711

Received: 15 Nov 2020
Revised: 26 Jan 2021
Accepted: 06 Feb 2021
Published online: 01 Apr 2021

Abstract

Potato invertase inhibitor (StInvInh2) positively regulates cold-induced sweetening (CIS) resistance by inhibiting the activity of vacuolar invertase. The distinct expression patterns of StInvInh2 have been thoroughly characterized in different potato genotypes, but the related CIS ability has not been characterized. The understanding of the regulatory mechanisms that control StInvInh2 transcription is unclear. In this study, we identified an ERF‐VII transcription factor, StRAP2.3, that directly regulates StInvInh2 to positively modulate CIS resistance. Acting as a nuclear-localized transcriptional activator, StRAP2.3 directly binds the ACCGAC cis-element in the promoter region of StInvInh2, enabling promoter activity. Overexpression of StRAP2.3 in CIS-sensitive potato tubers induced StInvInh2 mRNA abundance and increased CIS resistance. In contrast, silencing StRAP2.3 in CIS-resistant potato tubers repressed the expression of StInvInh2 and decreased CIS resistance. We conclude that cold-responsive StInvInh2 is due to the binding of StRAP2.3 to the ACCGAC cis-element in the promoter region of StInvInh2. Overall, these findings indicate that StRAP2.3 directly regulates StInvInh2 to positively modulate CIS resistance, which may provide a strategy to improve the processing quality of potatoes.