Identification and Functional Validation of Key Regulatory Genes for Leaf Development in Moso Bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) Based on Transcriptome Data

To systematically elucidate the molecular regulatory mechanisms underlying leaf development in Moso bamboo, this study conducted transcriptome sequencing and systematic analysis on leaves across three key developmental stages: the division stage, the elongation stage, and the mature stage. A total of 25,256 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. Functional enrichment analysis revealed the sequential molecular events during leaf development: pathways related to cell division and hormone signal transduction were highly active in the early developmental stages, whereas photosynthesis and secondary metabolism were significantly enriched in the mature stage. This reflects the dynamic transition of leaves from morphogenesis to physiological function. Further analysis screened out 3390 transcription factors, among which the AP2/EREBP and bHLH families exhibited notably dynamic expression patterns. Subsequent transgenic functional validation demonstrated that the overexpression of PheANT led to an increased number of leaves and morphological abnormalities in Arabidopsis, while the overexpression of PhebHLH137 resulted in slender leaves and early flowering. This study systematically maps the transcriptomic landscape of Moso bamboo leaf development and identifies multiple key regulatory genes, providing important theoretical insights and candidate gene resources for revealing the unique leaf development mechanisms in bamboo plants.