CONSTANS–FKBP12 interaction contributes to modulation of photoperiodic flowering in Arabidopsis

Abstract

Flowering time is a key process in plant development. Photoperiodic signals play a crucial role in the floral transition in Arabidopsis thaliana, and the protein CONSTANS (CO) has a central regulatory function that is tightly regulated at the transcriptional and post-translational levels. The stability of CO protein depends on a light-driven proteasome process that optimizes its accumulation in the evening to promote the production of the florigen FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) and induce seasonal flowering. To further investigate the post-translational regulation of CO protein we have dissected its interactome network employing in vivo and in vitro assays and molecular genetics approaches. The immunophilin FKBP12 has been identified in Arabidopsis as a CO interactor that regulates its accumulation and activity. FKBP12 and CO interact through the CCT domain, affecting the stability and function of CO. fkbp12 insertion mutants show a delay in flowering time, while FKBP12 overexpression accelerates flowering, and these phenotypes can be directly related to a change in accumulation of FT protein. The interaction is conserved between the Chlamydomonas algal orthologs CrCO–CrFKBP12, revealing an ancient regulatory step in photoperiod regulation of plant development.