Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42159751›Full record

ArticlePlant cell reports2026

The function of tea plant CsMORF9.3 in chlorophyll biosynthesis and RNA editing.

Pinzhi Zhang, Mengyuan Zhang, Xufan Liu, Yang Meng, Puyu Zhang, Zhiqin Ma, Yao Xiao, Yuefang Gao

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Article in Plant cell reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Pinzhi ZhangCollege of Horticulture, Northwest A and F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
Mengyuan ZhangCollege of Horticulture, Northwest A and F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
Xufan LiuCollege of Horticulture, Northwest A and F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
Yang MengFu Tea Research and Development Centre, Northwest A and F University, Jingyang, 713700, China.
Puyu ZhangCollege of Horticulture, Northwest A and F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
Zhiqin MaCollege of Horticulture, Northwest A and F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
Yao XiaoCollege of Language and Culture, Northwest A and F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
Yuefang GaoCollege of Horticulture, Northwest A and F University, Yangling, 712100, China. yuefanggao@nwafu.edu.cn.

Funding

Local Government Cooperation Project of Jingyang County K4050122051Scientific and Technological Innovation Support Plan of Xianyang City L2023-CXNL-CXRC-008the Key Research and Development Program of Shaanxi Provincial 2023-YBNY-145
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

key messageCsMORF9.3 regulates chlorophyll biosynthesis, affecting the RNA editing efficiency of matK-445, rpoA-200, ndhD-674 and ndhD-1310, and it interacts with CsMORFs, CsPPRs and CsCHLD proteins. Leaf color is an important factor affecting tea quality as well as the growth and development. It has been reported that several genes and transcription factors participated in chlorophyll metabolism in tea plants (Camellia sinensis). However, the role of chloroplast RNA editing factors in chlorophyll biosynthesis in C. sinensis remains poorly understood. In this study, multiple dysregulated RNA editing sites in the chloroplast genome were identified from etiolation and albino tea cultivars. Multiple organellar RNA editing factor 9.3 (CsMORF9.3), a core RNA editing factor localized in the chloroplasts, was identified as a candidate regulator of leaf coloration. Antisense oligonucleotide (AsODN) and virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) confirmed that suppressing CsMORF9.3 expression reduces chlorophyll content, downregulates genes involved in chlorophyll biosynthesis and chloroplast development, as well as disrupts chloroplast RNA editing. Protein-protein interaction assays confirmed that CsMORF9.3 could form both homodimers and heterodimers with itself or other MORF proteins through yeast two-hybrid (Y2H), luciferase complementation imaging (LCI) assays, and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assays. Moreover, CsMORF9.3 was found to interact with multiple PLS-type pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins, including CsCRR21, CsCRR28, CsOTP84, and CsLPA66, as well as with CsCHLD, a key subunit of magnesium chelatase in chlorophyll biosynthesis. Our study provides the protein interaction of CsMORF9.3, demonstrating its potential role in regulating RNA editing and chlorophyll biosynthesis in C. sinensis. These results broaden the understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of chlorophyll biosynthesis and provide new insights into the breeding of etiolation and albino tea plant germplasm.

Indexed as

Camellia sinensisChlorophyllPlant ProteinsRNA EditingChloroplastsGene Expression Regulation, PlantGene SilencingPlant LeavesChlorophyllPlant ProteinsCamellia sinensisChlorophyll metabolismChloroplast developmentMultiple organellar RNA editing factor (MORF)RNA editing

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.