Triacylglycerol biosynthesis in shaded seeds of tung tree (Vernicia fordii) is regulated in part by Homeodomain Leucine Zipper 21.

Light quantity and quality affect many aspects of plant growth and development. However, few reports have addressed the molecular connections between seed oil accumulation and light conditions, especially dense shade. Shade-avoiding plants can redirect plant resources into extension growth at the expense of leaf and root expansion in an attempt to reach areas containing richer light. Here, we report that tung tree seed oil accumulation is suppressed by dense shade during the rapid oil accumulation phase. Transcriptome analysis confirmed that oil accumulation suppression due to dense shade was attributed to reduced expression of fatty acid and triacylglycerol biosynthesis-related genes. Through weighted gene co-expression network analysis, we identified 32 core transcription factors (TFs) specifically upregulated in densely shaded seeds during the rapid oil accumulation period. Among these, VfHB21, a class I homeodomain leucine zipper TF, was shown to suppress expression of FAD2 and FADX, two key genes related to α-eleostearic acid, by directly binding to HD-ZIP I/II motifs in their respective promoter regions. VfHB21 also binds to similar motifs in the promoters of VfWRI1 and VfDGAT2, two additional key seed lipid regulatory/biosynthetic genes. Functional conservation of HB21 during plant evolution was demonstrated by the fact that AtWRI1, AtSAD1, and AtFAD2 were downregulated in VfHB21-overexpressor lines of transgenic Arabidopsis, with concomitant seed oil reduction, and the fact that AtHB21 expression also was induced by shade. This study reveals some of the regulatory mechanisms that specifically control tung tree seed oil biosynthesis and more broadly regulate plant storage carbon partitioning in response to dense shade conditions.