The Constitutive Expression of a Chrysanthemum ERF Transcription Factor Influences Flowering Time in Arabidopsis thaliana

AP2/ERF transcription factors (TFs) represent valuable targets for the genetic manipulation of crop plants, as they participate in the control of metabolism, growth and development, as well as in the plants’ response to environmental stimuli. Here, an ERF TF encoded by the chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium) genome, designated CmERF110, was cloned and functionally characterized. The predicted CmERF110 polypeptide included a conserved DNA-binding AP2/ERF domain. A transient expression experiment revealed that the protein was deposited in the nucleus, and a transactivation experiment in yeast suggested that it had no transcriptional activity. The gene was transcribed in the chrysanthemum root, stem and leaf, with its transcript level following a circadian rhythm under both long and short days. The effect of constitutively expressing the gene in Arabidopsis thaliana was to accelerate flowering. Transcriptional profiling implied that its effect on floral initiation operated through the photoperiod pathway.