茶树是多年生木本植物，有很高的经济价值。儿茶素是茶叶的重要成分，具有多种保健功能。儿茶素主要在茶树叶片中合成和积累，不同茶树中儿茶素含量相差很大，儿茶素与茶叶品质密切相关。ERF类转录因子广泛参与植物生长发育的各个过程，也参与苯丙氨酸途径的代谢调控。目前ERF类转录因子调控茶树中儿茶素合成的机制还不清楚。项目在前期研究基础上开展ERF类转录因子对茶树儿茶素生物合成调控的机理研究。通过儿茶素测定、基因表达、酵母单杂交、转录组和蛋白质组学、植物转基因来研究茶树ERF类转录因子与儿茶素合成的关系。着重研究:茶树中儿茶素生物合成的时空差异;儿茶素合成相关基因的表达差异;茶树中ERF类转录因子基因表达差异; ERF类转录因子与儿茶素合成基因上游序列结合能力;转基因拟南芥和烟草验证茶树儿茶素合成和ERF调控关键基因的功能。项目有基础，有新意，深入研究茶树儿茶素合成调控机制，为茶树品质改良提供科学依据。

The tea plant, Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze, is a perennial cross-pollination woody crop. Tea is made from tea plant leaves and is consumed as a popular natural non-alcoholic beverage worldwide due to its bioactive ingredients, including tea polyphenols, catechins, theanine, and polysaccharides. Catechins not only contribute to tea quality but also serve important functions in the anti-stress regulation of secondary metabolic pathways. Catechins are biosynthesized and accumulated in tea plant leaves, and their monomer contents also have high variability in different tea plant cultivars. Catechins biosynthesis in tea plant growth and development is important for the quality of tea. In higher plant, ERF family transcription factors are known to regulate diverse processes of plant growth and development, including the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. The amount and composition of catechins are regulated by various kinds of transcription factors, including ERF family transcription factors. Till now, little information is available on the regulation mechanism of ERF family transcription factors involved in catechins biosynthesis in C. sinensis..On the basis of previous results, the project mainly aim to elucidate the regulation mechanism of catechins biosynthesis in C. sinensis through the results of catechins contents, expression profiles of involved genes, yeast one-hybrid system, transcriptomics, proteomics, transgenic plant. This study shall elucidated the regulation mechanisms and critical genes that involved in catechins biosynthesis in C. sinensis. The candidate genes include function genes in the catechins biosynthetic pathway and ERF family transcription factor genes. The main research areas were highlighted below: (1) the differences of catechins biosynthesis in different cultivars of C. sinensis; (2) expression profiles of the genes involved in catechins biosynthesis in C. sinensis; (3) expression profiles of the candidate ERF family transcription factor genes in C. sinensis; (4) the binding activity of candidate ERF family transcription factors in the up-stream sequence of catechins biosynthesis genes; (5) the function of those catechins biosynthesis genes and the candidate ERF family transcription factor genes be studied by transgenic Arabidopsis and transgenic tobacco plants. The researches in the project have a good foundation, and the contents and methods are innovative. The results will further deepen the regulation mechanism of ERF family transcription factors involved in catechins biosynthesis in C. sinensis. The project shall also provides a scientific basis for the improvement of quality of tea.