Little by little, winter is approaching in the northern hemisphere, a time when the forests will seem almost asleep, with many of the trees stripped of their leaves until they “come to life” with the new arrival of spring. But have you ever wondered how trees know when is the best time to bloom? And how do they manage to do it in such a synchronous way? The answer is simple and has a name: florigenic .
Florigen is a plant hormone that is produced in the cells of the leaves when the days begin to lengthen. This protein is responsible for initiating flower growth. According to a new study by the University of Korea and published in the journal Science , during the cold season this hormone is sequestered to prevent flowering. This discovery could give us an important change in vision of the possible effects of climate change on agricultural production.
One of the widely known characteristics of florigen is its ability to bind to lipids, although its specific function was unknown. In the study led by Hendry Susila, they investigated the activity of florigen at different temperatures, and discovered that the intracellular lipid membranes responsible for regulating the transport of the hormone were responsible for its sequestration during periods of intense cold. Using the herbaceous Arabidopsis thaliana as a model for the study, the scientists discovered that florigen binds to the phospholipid phosphatidylglycerol in the lipid membrane of cells during winter, a fact that delays flowering until the arrival of good weather. To verify this, the team disturbed the biosynthesis of phosphatidylglycerol in the plant cells, a fact that, as expected, led to an early flowering totally insensitive to temperature.
The history of physiological regulation does not end here. In general, plants are fascinating beings that use environmental cues to enhance their ability to survive and reproduce. Some of these signs are the length of the day (through daylight hours), ambient temperature, soil and air humidity, physical contact, and even colors. By using all this information, they are able to modulate their stages of growth and development, including when the leaves come out or when they bloom.
We are getting closer and closer to deciphering the language and mechanisms used by our plant relatives, beings as surprising as they are unknown.
References:
Science plus. (2021, September 3). Florigen sequestration prevents plants from blooming in the cold. europapress.es. https://www.europapress.es/ciencia/habitat/noticia-secuestro-florigeno-impide-plantas-florezcan-frio-20210903105935.html
Susila, H., Jurić, S., Liu, L., Gawarecka, K., Chung, K. S., Jin, S., Kim, S. J., Nasim, Z., Youn, G., Suh, M. C., Yu, H., & Ahn, J. H. (2021). Florigen sequestration in cellular membranes modulates temperature-responsive flowering. Science, 373(6559), 1137–1142. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abh4054Â
