Functional characterisation of WRKY transcription factor CrWRKY48 involved in regulating seed abortion of Ponkan (Citrus reticulata)

Abstract Citrus fruits are one of the most important fruits in the world, and their seedless character is favored by consumers. WRKY is a plant‐specific transcription factor family involved in all aspects of plant growth and development. However, the molecular mechanism of seedless fruit formation in citrus and the role of the WRKY gene family in seed abortion are still poorly understood. In this study, we identified 47 WRKY family genes in the citrus fruit Citrus reticulata and comprehensively characterized the WRKY gene family through gene structure and evolutionary relationships. The expression patterns and protein interaction networks of the WRKY gene family were analyzed based on citrus seed abortion transcriptome data, and several WRKY genes that may be involved in the seed abortion regulation were excavated. Furthermore, CrWRKY48 was verified to regulate seed abortion positively in Arabidopsis thaliana , and the rate of seed abortion caused by overexpression of CrWRKY48 reached 45.48%. Using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated dUTP nick‐end labelling assays, DNA affinity purification sequencing and yeast‐one‐hybrid assays, we found that CrWRKY48 activated excessive programmed cell death by regulating the expression of programmed cell death‐related genes such as SOBIR1 . Our results show the potential regulation of the WRKY gene family for citrus seed abortion and provide novel insights into the role of CrWRKY48 in mediating citrus seed abortion by activating programmed cell death.