Cloning, Expression and Functional Study of OfCOR27 Gene in Osmanthus fragrans

Blooming time is an important basis for constructing plant landscapes. The short flowering period of Osmanthus fragrans, recognized as one of the ten traditional flowers in China, considerably constrains the further utilization of its resources. To clarify O. fragrans flowering regulation, this study focused on OfCOR27, conducting cloning, expression analysis, and functional verification to explore its effects on O. fragrans flowering time. A COR27 phylogenetic tree was built across six species; OfCOR27 physicochemical properties, conserved structures, and promoter cis-elements were analyzed. OfCOR27 CDS was cloned, fusion vectors were transformed into Nicotiana benthamiana, and organ-specific expression was tested in two O. fragrans cultivars. Overexpression vectors were transformed into Arabidopsis thaliana, with qRT-PCR verifying gene function. Five OfCOR27s were identified, showing evolutionary conservation. OfCOR27, which localizes to the nucleus and is associated with flowering regulation, shows higher expression in ‘Sijigui’ than in ‘XiaoyeSugui’. Overexpression of OfCOR27 promoted flowering in A. thaliana, whereas the AtCOR27 mutant flowered later. This confirms OfCOR27 is a positive regulator of plant flowering, which may promote flowering by enhancing the expression of flowering-promoting genes and altering hormone levels, providing a theoretical basis and candidate gene for the genetic improvement of flowering traits in woody ornamental plants.