Plants keep measuring changes in day length to maximize reproductive fitness under favorable seasons. In Arabidopsis thaliana, a model plant that flowers early in long days, the induction of FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) gene expression determines the timing of flowering. The FT expression is directly activated by the transcription factor CONSTANS (CO). The diurnal expression patterns of CO gene and protein are crucial for the day length-dependent FT expression. FLAVIN BINDING, KELCH REPEAT, F-BOX1 (FKF1) is a blue light photoreceptor that acts as a photoperiod sensor. FKF1 positively regulates CO gene expression and CO protein stability directly as well as FT gene expression directly and indirectly, which facilitates plants to flower at the right season. The LOV (Light, Oxigen, Voltage) domain in FKF1 is responsible for blue light absorption and plays important roles in the regulation of CO and FT genes by the formation of the protein complex with GIGENTEA (GI) and in the stabilization of CO by the interaction with it.
Recent analysis of the LOV domain structure of ZTL, a FKF1 homologue, predicted that the amino acid isoleucine at position 151 plays an important role in the formation of dimerization, which is essential for the unique function of the protein. In FKF1, the 160th amino acid isoleucine has the same structural feature. In this study, I investigated the functional significance of the FKF1 LOV domain in flowering regulation through the substitution of arginine for isoleucine (I160R). The LOV domain mutant form of FKF1 protein (FKF1 I160R) promoted flowering time, although the protein abundance of the form was lower than that of wild type FKF1. Moreover, FKF1 I160R specifically increased FT mRNA levels but not CO mRNA levels. Since no significant differences in the interactions of FKF1 I160R with GI and CO in vivo and in planta, respectively, compared to wild type FKF1, these observations suggested that FKF1 I160R might regulate CO at the post-translational level. Co-immunoprecipitation assays showed an increased binding of FKF1 I160R to CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC 1 (COP1), which mediates the degradation of CO, in vivo.
In conclusion, the isoleucine residue at position 160 in the FKF1 LOV domain plays an important role in the FKF1-mediated flowering regulation through the formation of adequate protein complexes.