Winter fields antisense RNAs to kick off flowering

Abstract

FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC), a MADS-box transcription factor, plays a major role in determining flowering time in Arabidopsis. In this issue of Genes & Development, Zhao and colleagues (pp. 888–898) elucidate the role of COOLAIR antisense noncoding RNAs in FLC regulation through field trials and laboratory experiments. COOLAIR-mediated FLC silencing is induced by the first seasonal frost in the field and thus acts as a key molecular indicator during autumn for winter arrival.