Gibberellin deficiency is responsible for shy-flowering nature of Epipremnum aureum

Abstract

Epipremnum aureum is an extremely popular houseplant belonging to the Araceae family of angiosperms, but it does not flower either in the wild or under cultivation. We uncovered the potential causes of its shy-flowering nature by building the transcriptome using next-generation sequencing and identifying floral-related genes that are differentially expressed between vertical growth (VG, adult) and horizontal growth (HG, juvenile) plants. Transcripts of the gibberellin (GA) biosynthetic gene EaGA3ox1 and GA-responsive floral meristem identity gene EaLFY were absent in both VG and HG plants, suggesting that a deficiency of bioactive GAs may be responsible for its shy-flowering nature. This hypothesis is supported by undetectable or low levels of three bioactive GAs, and exogenous GA3 triggered flowering in both plants. Our study resolves the mystery why E. aureum fails to flower, and reveals the positive role of GAs in floral transition in perennials.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Epipremnum aureum and its comparative analysis among eight Araceae species

“…Epipremnum aureum , commonly known as ‘pothos’, is a large perennial vine plant that originated from Southeast Asia and the Solomon Islands in Indonesia [ 14 ]. It is the only shy-flowering species known in Araceae, a large, diverse family that contains 120 genera and 3,800 species [ 15 ]. Despite the long and arduous process of nomenclature with conventional morphological identifications since 1880, formerly known as ‘ Pothos aureus ’, ‘ Scindapsus aureus ’, ‘ Raphidophora aurea ’, or ‘ Epipremnum pinnatum’ , was named as Epipremnum aureum in 1964 when flower characteristics were available [ 15 ].…”

“…It is the only shy-flowering species known in Araceae, a large, diverse family that contains 120 genera and 3,800 species [ 15 ]. Despite the long and arduous process of nomenclature with conventional morphological identifications since 1880, formerly known as ‘ Pothos aureus ’, ‘ Scindapsus aureus ’, ‘ Raphidophora aurea ’, or ‘ Epipremnum pinnatum’ , was named as Epipremnum aureum in 1964 when flower characteristics were available [ 15 ]. Its decorative marbled leaves and ease of maintenance make it very popular as an indoor plant because it is tolerant of low light levels and has beautiful evergreen foliage, air-cleansing qualities, and desirable vastu principles [ 14 , 16 , 17 ].…”

“…By 2007, however, its ranking had dropped to twelfth place because only a limited number of cultivars were in commercial production [ 14 ]. Because it is recalcitrant in its flowering nature, breeding protocols that rely upon floral induction for propagation are not yet available [ 14 , 15 ]. Furthermore, induced mutation as a method for addressing the shortage of new cultivars has not been successful because of low frequency and randomness [ 14 , 15 ].…”

“…Because it is recalcitrant in its flowering nature, breeding protocols that rely upon floral induction for propagation are not yet available [ 14 , 15 ]. Furthermore, induced mutation as a method for addressing the shortage of new cultivars has not been successful because of low frequency and randomness [ 14 , 15 ]. Genetic engineering can possibly provide a more efficient means for cultivating new cultivars through gene(s) transfer.…”

Identification, characterization and gene expression analyses of important flowering genes related to photoperiodic pathway in bamboo

“…Flowering is a natural outcome of plant’s interaction with its surrounding environment. Depending on the nature of the external factors various flowering pathways such as photoperiodic (light as external cue) [ 7 ], vernalization (cold) [ 8 ], autonomous (endogenous factor/s) [ 9 ] and hormonal (GA 3 ) [ 10 ] pathways have been characterized. Light is one of the most studied external cues and can control diverse physiological processes including flowering [ 11 ].…”