Abstract
Perennial plants growing in temperate zone show annual growth cycle. In the autumn the newly formed buds enter endodormancy. After that, buds are released from endodormancy by a prolonged period of chilling during winter. This regulation of endodormancy allows perennial plants to survive in low temperate during winter. However, the molecular mechanism of endodormancy in perennial plants is not well understood. We isolated SVP-like gene of Prunus mume, named DORMANCY ASSOCIATED MADS-box6 (DAM6), which shows high expression during endodormancy. Seasonal expression pattern of DAM6 showed correlation with endodormancy. Moreover a prolonged period of chilling was required to decrease the expression of DAM6. Interestingly over-expressed DAM6 in poplar repressed bud growth under long-day condition. These results could indicate that DAM6 controls endodormancy in Prunus mume, suggesting the possible role of SVP homologs in regulating bud endodormancy in perennial plants.
