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Journal of Tea Science ›› 2026, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (1): 1-19.

• Research Paper •     Next Articles

Identification and Expression Regulation Analysis of the CsWCOR413 Gene Family in Camellia sinensis

LIU Enbei1,2, WU Yedie1,2, XU Miaomiao1,2, LING Mingxing1,2, PENG Jing1,2, WANG Jie1,2, WANG Xinchao1,2, WANG Lu1,2,*   

  1. 1. Key Laboratory of Biology, Genetic and Breeding of Special Economic Animals and Plants, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, National Center for Tea Plant Improvement, Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China;
    2. State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Germplasm Innovation and Resource Utilization, Hangzhou 310008, China
  • Received:2025-09-01 Revised:2025-09-22 Online:2026-02-15 Published:2026-02-06

Abstract: Low temperature stress significantly impairs the growth and development of tea plants (Camellia sinensis), as well as the yield and quality of tea. The WCOR413 gene family plays an important role in plant cold resistance. However, it has not yet been systematically identified in tea plants. This study employed pan-genome and cold acclimation transcriptome data of tea plants, combined with bioinformatics and RT-qPCR analysis, to identify members of the CsWCOR413 gene family. The results show that the CsWCOR413 family consists of six members (CsWCOR413-1 to CsWCOR413-6), which can be divided into two subclasses based on the conserved domains of the proteins: plasma membrane-localized and internal/thylakoid membrane-localized. Promoter cis-element analysis finds that the CsWCOR413 genes may be regulated by various transcription factors, enabling them to respond to cold, dehydration and ABA signals. RT-qPCR analysis reveals the expression patterns of the CsWCOR413 genes. CsWCOR413-1 was predominantly expressed in leaves, responded to JA and ABA signaling, and was significantly induced by low temperature stress. CsWCOR413-5 responded to short-term cold stress and calcium ion signaling. The transcriptome and Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) indicate that CsWCOR413-1 was significantly upregulated during natural cold acclimation and was strongly co-expressed with CsCBF3, a core transcription factor in cold signaling. Subcellular localization reveals that CsWCOR413-1 was localized in the cell membrane and cytoplasm. Dual-luciferase reporter assay confirms that CsCBF1 and CsCBF3 directly bound to the CsWCOR413-1 promoter and activated its expression. This study systematically elucidated the characteristics and expression profiles of the CsWCOR413 gene family and revealed that CsWCOR413-1 is transcriptionally regulated by CsCBF1 and CsCBF3, suggesting the crucial role of CsWCOR413-1 in tea plant under low temperature stress.

Key words: tea plants, WCOR413 gene family, low temperature stress, pan-genome, expression regulation

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