PpERF27-PpCBF2/4 Module Mediates Peach Bud Endodormancy by Regulating Abscisic Acid Biosynthesis and the DAM Gene Pathway

Perennial deciduous plants withstand prolonged low temperatures by entering bud endodormancy, a developmental state tightly regulated by phytohormones and Dormancy-Associated MADS-box (DAM) genes. Although abscisic acid (ABA) is well-established as a key regulator of bud endodormancy, the role of endogenous ethylene (ET) in low-temperature-mediated endodormancy regulation remains largely unclear. Here, we show that short-term low temperature increases endogenous ET levels in peach buds, thereby inducing the expression of PpERF27 . Functional analyses revealed that overexpression of PpERF27 increased ABA accumulation in peach buds, whereas virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) of PpERF27 reduced ABA levels and promoted endodormancy release. PpERF27 directly activates the transcription of PpDAM5 and the ABA biosynthetic genes PpNCED2 and PpNCED3, thereby promoting bud endodormancy. Moreover, PpERF27 interacts with the C-repeat binding factors PpCBF2 and PpCBF4, further enhancing the transcriptional activation of PpDAM5, PpNCED2, and PpNCED3, which increases ABA accumulation and delays bud endodormancy release. After a long term exposure to low temperature, ET levels decrease and the expression of PpCBF2 and PpCBF4 is downregulated in peach bud, this reduction weakens ABA biosynthesis and DAM gene expression, consequently accelerating bud endodormancy release. Together, this study provides novel insights into how perennial deciduous plants integrate low-temperature and ET signals to regulate bud endodormancy and highlights the PpERF27–PpCBF2/4–ABA/DAM regulatory module as a potential molecular target for improving endodormancy regulation in peach and other perennial fruit trees. Supplementary Material File (manuscript.doc) - Download - 18.21 MB Information & Authors Information Version history Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License.

Authors Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 135views 82downloads Citations Download citation Sen Li, Xiuli Jing, Qingjie Wang, et al. PpERF27-PpCBF2/4 Module Mediates Peach Bud Endodormancy by Regulating Abscisic Acid Biosynthesis and the DAM Gene Pathway. Authorea. 20 January 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.176888727.70599828/v1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.176888727.70599828/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu.