文心蘭萳西 (Oncidium Gower Ramsey) 的開花誘導過程與假球莖中多醣類及維他命C含量下降相關。為了進一步瞭解文心蘭抽花梗芽之機制,將抽梗期 (Bolting period) 之文心蘭假球莖分成營養芽區和花梗芽區兩個組織,並利用Solexa新世代定序技術 (next generation sequencing) 取得兩個組織的轉錄體基因庫 (transcriptomic profiles)。基因解析後之結果顯示,合成一氧化氮的主要基因,硝酸還原酶 (NITRATE REDUCTASE,NAR) 和一氧化氮合成酶 (NITRIC OXIDE SYNTHASE,NOS) 在花梗芽區的假球莖組織中,基因表現量較低。此外,在抽梗期之假球莖中NaR及NOS的基因表現和酵素活性都比營養生長時期的假球莖低,進而造成假球莖在抽花梗芽時一氧化氮含量下降。若施加會釋放一氧化氮之藥劑Sodium nitroprusside (SNP) 也能確實抑制文心蘭開花,顯示一氧化氮為文心蘭開花之抑制者。進一步發現,外加維他命C能提高NaR及NOS的酵素活性,因此增加文心蘭一氧化氮含量。相反的,低維他命C含量的阿拉伯芥突變株vtc1之NaR活性明顯較野生型低,因此具有較少的一氧化氮含量與較弱的一氧化氮誘發能力。而外加SNP能使原來在vtc1植物中因缺乏維他命C而提早開花的情形,延緩至與野生株相同之花期;但外加維他命C卻無法有效改變缺乏一氧化氮之阿拉伯芥noa1突變株提早開花的現象。綜合以上結果顯示,一氧化氮調控開花可能為演化上保守的途徑,在阿拉伯芥中一氧化氮可以當作維他命C調控文心蘭以及阿拉伯芥開花的下游訊息傳遞分子之一,推測在文心蘭開花調控機制中亦類似。
Flowering in Oncidium was supervised by the levels of endogenous carbohydrates and ascorbate (AsA) in the pseudobulb. To investigate the flowering mechanism, we carried out the transcriptomic profiles of axillary bud combined with proximal pseudobulb (APB) tissue and inflorescence bud combined with proximal pseudobulb (IPB) tissue at bolting period. Through the next generation sequencing (NGS) technology to approach the flowering mechanism, it revealed that nitric oxide (NO) metabolism-related genes were down-regulated significantly in IPB. NITRATE REDUCTASE (NAR) and NO SYNTHASE (NOS) exhibited lower gene expression levels and enzymatic activities at bolting period, leading to a reduction of NO level. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a NO donor, could repress Oncidium bolting and indicate that NO acts as negative regulator on Oncidium flowering. Intriguingly, exogenous AsA could trigger NO production by enhancing the enzymatic activities of NaR and NOS. In addition, vtc1, an AsA-deficient mutant of Arabidopsis, exhibited a deprived ability to induce NO by decreasing NaR activity. Noteworthily, exogenous SNP retrieved the flowering time of vtc1, but exogenous AsA could not rescue the flowering time of Arabidopsis NOS mutant, noa1. In conclusion, the regulation of flowering by NO might be a conservative cause in plant, the evidence suggests that NO acts as one of the downstream signal molecules underlying ASA effects on flowering processes in Arabidopsis and might be in Oncidium.