Abstract

TheMYB60gene belongs to the R2R3-MYB subfamily, which includes theMYB31/30/96/94genes. Although these genes have been shown to respond to heat and drought stresses, their role in flavonoid synthesis remains unclear. In this study,NoMYB60was cloned from watercress and its structure and function were analyzed. Sequence structure analysis showed thatNoMYB60had a highly conserved R2R3 DNA-binding region at the N-terminus. Under the treatment of ABA, SA or MeJA, the expression level ofNoMYB60first significantly increased and then decreased, indicating that ABA, SA and MeJA positively regulatedNoMYB60. The subcellular localization of NoMYB60-GFP indicated that NoMYB60 was localized in the nuclear region, which is consistent with the molecular characterization of the transcription factor. Gene silencing experiments were also performed to further test the function ofNoMYB60. The result showed that virus-induced silencing ofNoMYB60affected the expression of enzyme genes in flavonoid synthesis pathways and promoted the synthesis of flavonoids. Moreover, we discovered that NoMYB60 interacts with NoBEH1/2. In this study, provides a reference for research on the regulation mechanism of flavonoid synthesis in Cruciferae and other crops.Keywords:MYB60;flavonoid synthesis;Nasturtium officinaleR. Br.;NoMYB60;ABA;SA;MeJA;transcriptional activation activity