The ethylene-responsive factor OfERF4c interacts with OfVFP4 to regulate petal senescence in Osmanthus fragrans

), coupled with reduced catalase (CAT) activity, indicating enhanced oxidative stress. Yeast one-hybrid and dual-luciferase reporter assays demonstrated that the transcription factor OfVFP4 directly binds the OfERF4c promoter to activate its expression. Given that OfVFP4 belongs to the GeBP-like family and Arabidopsis GeBP proteins are implicated in cytokinin signaling modulation, we hypothesize that the OfVFP4-mediated regulation of OfERF4c may potentially link to hormonal crosstalk during petal senescence, which warrants further investigation. This work establishes OfERF4c as a positive regulator of petal senescence and provides new insights into the transcriptional network governing floral longevity in O. fragrans.