茶树是多年生常绿木本植物，越冬芽休眠的形成及解除是影响其安全越冬和春季萌发早晚的一个重要因素。DAM是参与多年生植物冬季休眠调控的一个关键基因，但在常绿植物休眠调控中的作用机理未见报道。项目组前期研究结果表明，茶树CsDAMs基因在冬季休眠形成和解除的不同时期存在显著的表达差异，且与已知落叶木本植物中的DAM基因相比，其基因结构和表达模式明显不同。本研究拟通过分析CsDAMs基因在不同萌发物候型茶树休眠形成和解除过程中的表达变化，明确该基因与茶树休眠的关系；构建过表达和诱导表达载体，利用杨树转化体系验证该基因的功能；采用CHIP-qPCR检测基因调控区染色质的组蛋白修饰变化，结合启动子响应性分析，揭示CsDAMs基因在茶树休眠形成和解除阶段的表达调控模式。深入阐明CsDAMs调控茶树越冬芽休眠的作用机理，为今后茶树物候期的遗传改良和揭示多年生常绿木本植物休眠机理提供理论依据。

Tea plant (Camellia sinensis (L.) O Kuntze) is a perennial evergreen woody plant. The dormancy formation and release of overwintering buds affect its safe hibernation and spring sprouting phenophase. DAM (Dormancy associated MADS-Box) plays crucial roles in dormancy regulation of perennial plants, however, the action mechanism of DAM has not been studied in evergreen plant. Our previous study shows that, CsDAM genes were differentially expressed during winter dormancy transitions, and also their expression patterns and genomic structures were different with the DAMs in deciduous woody plants. In this research, we propose to preform comprehensive expression analyses using multiple cultivars with varied sprouting phenophase to illuminate the roles of CsDAMs in tea plant dormancy; and then identify the genes function through poplar transformation system using overexpressing and inducible expression vectors; detect the responses of CsDAMs promoter to different treatments and the histone modification in CsDAMs regulation regions by CHIP-qPCR to finally reveal the expression regulation mechanism of CsDAMs during winter dormancy transition. This research proposal aims to illuminate the acting mechanism of CsDAMs in bud dormancy transition and provide valuable conclusions for genetic improvement of sprouting phenophase in tea plant and better understanding of dormancy mechanism in perennial evergreen woody plant.