@article{21158,
  abstract     = {Vernalization-regulated flowering is vital for wheat yield and geographical distribution, and the diversity of flowering time genes is essential for the breeding of climate-resilient varieties. Sugars have long been recognized in regulating flowering; however, the intrinsic connection between carbohydrate metabolism and vernalization response remains largely unexplored. Here, we identify a fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (FBA) encoding gene, HtL1/FBA10, as a modulator of heading time variation based on a genome-wide association study utilizing wheat core germplasm collections. Evolutionary analysis shows a decrease in the proportion of haplotype-2 of HtL1, which is linked to delayed flowering, in Chinese and American wheat varieties compared to landraces. Vernalization reduces HtL1/FBA10 phosphorylation levels and  increases  its O-GlcNAcylation, which in turn enhances its enzymatic activity and facilitates VERNALIZATION 1 (VRN1) transcription by regulating histone acetylation at the VRN1 locus. Our findings provide mechanistic insights into the interplay between glucose metabolism and the epigenetic regulation of vernalization in winter wheat.},
  author       = {Yang, Pengfang and Liu, Yangyang and Dong, Qi and Miao, Yuting and Zhang, Jianlong and Xu, Shujuan and Zhao, Hong and Niu, Yuda and Zhang, Xueyong and Xu, Yunyuan and Guo, Zifeng and Xing, Lijing and Chong, Kang},
  issn         = {2041-1723},
  journal      = {Nature Communications},
  publisher    = {Springer Nature},
  title        = {{O-GlcNAc and phosphorylation modifications on HtL1/FBA10 regulate wheat vernalization for flowering}},
  doi          = {10.1038/s41467-025-67734-0},
  volume       = {17},
  year         = {2026},
}