Tree peony transcription factor PrWRI1 enhances seed oil accumulation

BACKGROUND: WRINKLED1 (WRI1) encodes a transcription factor, belonging to the APETALA2 (AP2) family, and plays a key role in regulating plant oil biosynthesis. As a newly woody oil crop, tree peony (Paeonia rockii) was notable for the abundant unsaturated fatty acids in its seed oil. However, the role of WRI1 during the accumulation of P. rockii seeds oil remains largely unknown. RESULTS: In this study, a new member of the WRI1 family was isolated from P. rockii and was named PrWRI1. The ORF of PrWRI1 consisted of 1269 nucleotides, encoding a putative protein of 422 amino acids, and was highly expressed in immature seeds. Subcellular localization analysis in onion inner epidermal cells showed that PrWRI1 was located at the nucleolus. Ectopic overexpression of PrWRI1 could significantly increase the total fatty acid content in Nicotiana benthamiana leaf tissue and even PUFAs in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana seeds. Furthermore, the transcript levels of most genes related to fatty acids (FA) synthesis and triacylglycerol (TAG) assembly were also up-regulated in transgenic Arabidopsis seeds. CONCLUSIONS: Together, PrWRI1 could push carbon flow to FA biosynthesis and further enhance the TAG amount in seeds with a high proportion of PUFAs. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12870-023-04127-9.