BcNAC056 Interacts with BcWRKY1 to Regulate Leaf Senescence in Pak Choi

Abstract Senescence is the final stage of leaf development. For leafy vegetables such as pak choi, leaf senescence is adverse to yield due to the harvest period shortening. However, the regulatory mechanisms of leaf senescence are largely unknown in leafy vegetables. Here, we isolated and characterized a NAC gene, BcNAC056, in pak choi [Brassica campestris (syn. Brassica rapa) ssp. chinensis cv. 49caixin]. BcNAC056-GFP was located in the nucleus at the subcellular level, and BcNAC056 was responsive to leaf senescence and different hormones at the transcriptional level. Heterologous overexpression of BcNAC056 in Arabidopsis promoted leaf senescence, accompanied by the increased expression of senescence-associated genes (SAGs), whereas virus-induced gene silencing–based silencing in pak choi delayed leaf senescence. The following transcriptome analysis showed that heterologous overexpression of BcNAC056 enhanced some AtSAG transcripts in Arabidopsis. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and dual-luciferase (LUC) reporter assay revealed that BcNAC056 activated SAG12 by directly binding to the promoter. In addition, with the LUC reporter and transient overexpression assays, we proposed that BcNAC056–BcWRKY1 interaction promoted the activation of BcSAG12. Taken together, our findings revealed a new regulatory mechanism of leaf senescence in pak choi.