TERMINAL FLOWER 1 and TERMINAL FLOWER 1d respond to temperature and photoperiod signals to inhibit determinate growth in cucumber

Plants monitor environmental cues to balance their vegetative and productive growth by optimizing their inflorescence architecture. TERMINAL FLOWER 1 (TFL1) and its orthologs regulate the inflorescence structure in cucumber, yet the mechanisms underlying their responses to environmental factors and the formation of terminal flowers remain elusive. Here, we performed map-based cloning to identify the gene that controls a season-dependent determinate growth phenotype and found that it was caused by the complete deletion of CsTFL1 in the genome of cucumber line WI1983Hde. In the CsTFL1 deletion plants (CsTFL1(del)), determinate growth could be partially rescued by high-temperature and long-day conditions. The expressions of CsTFL1 and its ortholog CsTFL1d could be upregulated by long-day and high-temperature signals. Knockdown of CsTFL1d resulted in determinate growth and the formation of terminal flowers in WT. These results indicate that the induction of CsTFL1d expression by long-day and high-temperature might partially rescue determinate growth of CsTFL1(del). Furthermore, biochemical analyses showed that CsTFL1d interacts directly with CsNOT2a, which indicated that CsTFL1d and CsTFL1 function via similar regulatory mechanism. Our data suggest that CsTFL1 and CsTFL1d co-contribute to inhibit determinate growth by responding to temperature and photoperiod signals. It provides mechanistic insights into how environmental cues sculpt the inflorescence architecture of cucumber.

Automated summary

This study identified the gene CsTFL1 that controls determinate growth in cucumber. It was found that CsTFL1d can partially rescue determinate growth of CsTFL1(del) through induction by long-day and high-temperature signals. Biochemical analysis showed that CsTFL1d interacts with CsNOT2a and functions in a similar regulatory mechanism as CsTFL1.