近日，法国巴黎萨克雷大学Abdelhafid Bendahmane及其团队的最新研究探明了花的奖赏和信号的遗传耦合是传粉者吸引的基础。2026年10月29日，国际知名学术期刊《细胞》发表了这一成果。
动物传粉者支撑着生物多样性和全球农业，然而协调花部报酬与信号以吸引传粉者的分子机制仍知之甚少。通过对甜瓜遗传多样性进行表型分析，研究人员鉴定出nectarless1（nls1），其编码YABBY家族转录因子YABBY5（YAB5），是吸引传粉者性状的中心整合因子。在蜜腺起始过程中，YAB5与CRABS CLAW（CRC）相互作用，通过抑制其他花器官命运来指定蜜腺身份。随着花朵成熟，YAB5直接激活4-α-葡聚糖转移酶2（DPE2），以促进花蜜分泌所需的淀粉再动员，并促进花瓣生长和花朵开放。在花瓣中，YAB5直接参与一个依赖MYB111的类黄酮通路，该通路产生紫外蜜导，同时间接影响花部挥发物的释放。破坏YAB5、DPE2或MYB111会减少传粉者访问。总之，这些发现揭示了发育调控因子如何将器官特化与器官特异性代谢程序偶联，从而在开花期同步花部报酬与信号。
附：英文原文
Title: Genetic coupling of floral rewards and signals underlies pollinator attraction
Author: Feng-Quan Tan, Filip Slavkovic, Miao Zhang, Gabrièle Adam, Christelle Troadec, Zheng-Hua Jiang, Marion Verdenaud, Hadi Shirazi Parsa, Delphine Cuzzi, Xiaojuan Liu, Xiaoyuan Li, Ravi Sureshbhai Devani, Yuhang Yan, Qinghe Chen, Ying Huang, Nicolas Morison, Siqi Zhang, Fabien Marcel, Francoise Gilard, Bertrand Gakiere, David Latrasse, Moussa Benhamed, Julie Carcaud, Jean-Christophe Sandoz, Bernard Vaissiere, Adnane Boualem, Catherine Dogimont, Abdelhafid Bendahmane
Issue&Volume: 2026-10-29
Abstract: Animal pollinators underpin biodiversity and global agriculture, yet the molecular mechanisms that coordinate floral rewards and signals to attract pollinators remain poorly understood. Through phenotyping melon genetic diversity, we identified nectarless1 (nls1), encoding the YABBY-family transcription factor YABBY5 (YAB5), as a central integrator of pollinator-attracting traits. YAB5 interacts with CRABS CLAW (CRC) during nectary initiation to specify nectary identity by repressing alternative floral organ fates. As flowers mature, YAB5 directly activates 4-α-glucanotransferase 2 (DPE2) to promote starch remobilization required for nectar secretion and promotes petal growth and flower opening. In petals, YAB5 directly engages an MYB111-dependent flavonoid pathway that generates UV nectar guides, while indirectly influencing floral volatile emission. Disrupting YAB5, DPE2, or MYB111 reduces pollinator visitation. Together, these findings reveal how a developmental regulator couples organ specification with organ-specific metabolic programs to synchronize floral rewards and signals at anthesis.
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2026.10.005
Source:https://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/S0092-8674(26)01216-X