开花基因决定植物的一年生或多年生开花习性。已在不同植物中鉴定到多个开花基因, 然而关于开花基因如何驱动十字花科植物一年生与多年生生活史策略转变的进化机制仍不清楚。最近一项研究聚焦十字花科不同属的自然变异, 发现3个亲缘关系密切的MADS-box类转录因子编码基因(即FLC、FLM和MAF)与其一年生/多年生习性转变相关, 并解析了其分子机制, 提出十字花科植物生活史策略(即多年生/二年生/一年生之间的转换)是由FLC类MADS-box基因剂量叠加所决定的连续过程。研究结果初步明确了十字花科植物一年生与多年生生活史策略转换的进化机制和轨迹, 为培育多年生油菜品种奠定了理论基础, 也为其它十字花科作物的多年生化遗传改良提供借鉴。

The numerous flowering genes that have been identified in different plants play a crucial role in determining whether a plant is annual or perennial. However, the evolutionary mechanism by which these flowering genes drive the transition between annual and perennial life history strategies in Brassicaceae plants remains poorly understood. A recent study focused on natural variations in different genera of Brassicaceae. They identified three closely related MADS-box transcription factor genes, namely FLC, FLM, and MAF, and elucidated their molecular mechanisms associated with the transition between annual and perennial behavior. Their findings suggest that the life-history strategy in Brassicaceae plants (i.e., the conversion between perennial, biennial, and annual behavior) is a continuum determined by the dosage of FLC-like MADS-box genes. The study elucidates the evolutionary mechanisms and trajectories underlying the reciprocal conversion of life history strategies from annual to perennial in Brassicaceae, providing a theoretical foundation for breeding perennial rapeseed varieties and offering insights for Brassicaceae crops improved towards perennial grain.