Cis-cinnamic acid-enhanced 1 gene plays a role in regulation of Arabidopsis bolting

Cis-cinnamic acid (CA) is one of many cis-phenylpropanoids found in both monocots and dicots. It is produced in planta via sunlight-mediated isomerization of trans-cinnamic acid. This pair of isomers plays a differential role in regulation of plant growth. A functional proteomics approach has been adopted to identify genes of cis/trans-CA mixture-enhanced expression. Out of 1,241 proteins identified by mass spectrometry, 32 were CA-enhanced and 13 repressed. Further analysis with the molecular biology approach revealed 2 cis-CA (Zusammen-CA)-Enhanced genes, named ZCE1 and ZCE2, which encode members of the major latex protein-like (MLPL) gene family. The transcript accumulation of both genes is positively correlated with the amount of cis-CA applied externally, ranging from 1 to 100 mu M. ZCE1 transcript accumulation is enhanced largely by cis-CA and slightly by other cis-phenylpropanoids. Treatment of several well-characterized plant growth regulator perception-deficient mutants with cis-CA is able to promote ZCE1 transcript accumulation, suggestive of distinct signaling pathways regulating cis-CA response. The zce1 loss-of-function mutant produced via the RNA-interference technique produces an earlier bolting phenotype in Arabidopsis, suggesting that ZCE1 plays a role in promoting vegetative growth and delay flowering.