Molecular Mechanism of Transcription Factor CsS40 in Negatively Regulating Caffeine Accumulation and Leaf Senescence in Tea Plants was revealed
Published:12 Sep.2023 Source:Horticulture Research
Recently, a research team led by Lv Litang from the Tea Research Institute of Guizhou University published a study in the international academic journal Horticulture Research, revealing that the transcription factor CsS40 negatively regulates the expression of key enzyme gene TCS1 to modulate caffeine biosynthesis in tea plants, a process that is closely related to leaf senescence.
The study shows that the expression of CsS40 increases as tea leaves age, and CsS40 can directly inhibit the expression of TCS1. TCS1 is the rate-limiting enzyme for caffeine synthesis. The negative regulation of CsS40 reduces the activity of TCS1, leading to decreased caffeine levels in aged tea leaves.
Further gene silencing and overexpression experiments in tea plants validated this mechanism, demonstrating that altered expression levels of TCS1 directly affect caffeine accumulation. This study elucidates the molecular mechanism underlying changes in caffeine levels during tea leaf maturation, providing new insights into regulating caffeine biosynthesis and tea quality improvement.