Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42902126›Full record

ArticleBMC plant biology2026

Transcriptome analysis and hormone metabolic profiling provide molecular insights into flowering process in petunia.

Yue Chen, Xiang Gao, Jue Chen, Yanfang Xu, Yanhua Zhou, Danqing Yao, Huibin Luo, Juan Liu, Junsong Pan, Weiwei Zhang

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Article in BMC plant biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

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10 authors.

Yue ChenDepartment of Plant Science and Technology, Shanghai Vocational College of Agriculture and Forestry, Shanghai, 201699, China.
Xiang GaoDepartment of Plant Science and Technology, Shanghai Vocational College of Agriculture and Forestry, Shanghai, 201699, China.
Jue ChenDepartment of Plant Science and Technology, Shanghai Vocational College of Agriculture and Forestry, Shanghai, 201699, China.
Yanfang XuDepartment of Plant Science and Technology, Shanghai Vocational College of Agriculture and Forestry, Shanghai, 201699, China.
Yanhua ZhouDepartment of Plant Science and Technology, Shanghai Vocational College of Agriculture and Forestry, Shanghai, 201699, China.
Danqing YaoShanghai Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center, Shanghai, 201103, China.
Huibin LuoDepartment of Plant Science and Technology, Shanghai Vocational College of Agriculture and Forestry, Shanghai, 201699, China.
Juan LiuSchool of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
Junsong PanSchool of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
Weiwei ZhangDepartment of Plant Science and Technology, Shanghai Vocational College of Agriculture and Forestry, Shanghai, 201699, China. zhangww@shafc.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe flowering process is a complex biological event regulated by coordinated transcriptional programs and hormone signaling. Petunia hybrida is an important ornamental plant, yet the integrative regulatory mechanisms between hormones and gene expression during flowering remain poorly understood. In this study, flowers of the petunia cultivar '112' were classified into three developmental stages based on days before anthesis: 7 days before flowering (DBF7), 4 days before flowering (DBF4), and the day of flowering (F). Integrated transcriptomic and hormone profiling analyses were conducted to systematically investigate gene expression dynamics and hormone metabolism during the flowering process.

resultsHigh-quality RNA sequencing generated over 483.36 million clean reads, with mapping rates exceeding 83.9% against the petunia reference genome. Comparative transcriptome analysis identified 7,160, 8,687, and 11,161 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in DBF4 vs. DBF7, F vs. DBF4, and F vs. DBF7, respectively. K-means clustering divided DEGs into four expression modules associated with primary metabolism, secondary metabolite biosynthesis, hormone signal transduction, and floral organ morphogenesis. Transcription factor analysis revealed that bHLH, bZIP, MADS, TCP, and WRKY families exhibited distinct stage-specific expression patterns during the flowering process. Hormone profiling revealed dynamic changes in auxin, gibberellin, jasmonate, salicylic acid, and abscisic acid contents. Integrated transcriptomic and hormone analyses showed that auxin, gibberellin, and jasmonate biosynthesis pathways were predominantly active during early developmental stages, in accordance with the expression dynamics of major biosynthetic genes (PhYUC, PhTAR, PhGA20ox, PhGA3ox, PhLOX, PhAOS, and PhOPR3). Gene-hormone network analysis revealed interconnections among phytohormone signaling pathways, particularly between jasmonate-gibberellin and abscisic acid-cytokinin, which are associated with representative genes involved in jasmonate-related lipid metabolism (PhPLA2A and PhOPR11), phenylpropanoid metabolism (PhPAL1 and PhCAMT3), and cell wall modification (PhPGLR4 and PhGUN25) during the flowering process.

conclusionsThis study provides a comprehensive overview of the transcriptional and hormonal regulatory networks governing the flowering process in petunia. Our results reveal a stage-specific regulatory framework in which coordinated gene expression and phytohormone interactions contribute to flower development and opening, providing potential genetic resources for the improvement of ornamental traits in petunia.

Indexed as

FlowersPetuniaPlant Growth RegulatorsTranscriptomeGene Expression ProfilingGene Expression Regulation, PlantPlant ProteinsPlant Growth RegulatorsPlant ProteinsFloweringHormoneNetworkPetunia hybridaTranscriptome

Identifiers

PMID42902126
PMCPMC13685368

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