FveDREB1B improves cold tolerance of woodland strawberry by positively regulating FveSCL23 and FveCHS

Cold stress has seriously inhibited the growth and development of strawberry during production. CBF/DREB1 is a key central transcription factor regulating plant cold tolerance, but its regulatory mechanisms are varied in different plants. Especially in strawberry, the molecular mechanism of CBF/DREB1 regulating cold tolerance is still unclear. In this study, we found that FveDREB1B was most significantly induced by cold stress in CBF/DREB1 family of diploid woodland strawberry. FveDREB1B was localized to the nucleus, and DREB1B sequences were highly conserved in diploid and octoploid strawberry, and even similar in Rosaceae. And FveDREB1B overexpressed strawberry plants showed delayed flowering and increased cold tolerance, while FveDREB1B silenced plants showed early flowering and decreased cold tolerance. Under cold stress, FveDREB1B activated FveSCL23 expression by directly binding to its promoter. Meanwhile, FveDREB1B and FveSCL23 interacted with FveDELLA, respectively. In addition, we also found that FveDREB1B promoted anthocyanin accumulation in strawberry leaves by directly activating FveCHS expression after cold treatment and recovery to 25°C. DREB1B genes were also detected to be highly expressed in cold‐tolerant strawberry resources ‘Fragaria mandschurica’ and ‘Fragaria nipponica’. In conclusion, our study reveals the molecular mechanism of FveDREB1B‐FveSCL23‐FveDELLA module and FveDREB1B‐FveCHS module to enhance the cold tolerance of woodland strawberry. It provides a new idea for improving the cold tolerance of cultivated strawberry and evaluating the cold tolerance of strawberry germplasm resources. Summary Statement FveDREB1B activates FveSCL23, and both interact with FveDELLA to inhibit the initiation of reproductive growth, respectively. FveDREB1B activates FveCHS and promotes anthocyanin accumulation in leaves. Both pathways contribute to the cold tolerance of woodland strawberry.