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The appropriate timing of flowering is critical for plant reproductive success. Although the FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT)-FD module plays crucial roles in the photoperiodic flowering pathway, the underlying mechanisms and signaling pathways involved still remain elusive. Here, we demonstrate that class II TCP transcription factors (TFs) integrate into the FT-FD complex to control floral initiation in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Class II CINCINNATA (CIN) TCP TFs function as transcriptional activators by directly binding to the promoters of downstream floral meristem identity genes, such as APETALA1 (AP1). In addition, these TCPs directly interact with FD, a basic Leu zipper TF that plays a critical role in photoperiodic flowering, which further activates AP1 expression. Genetic analyses indicated that class II CIN TCP TFs function synergistically with FT and FD, to positively regulate flowering in an AP1-dependent manner. Thus, our results provide compelling evidence that class II CIN TCP TFs act directly at the AP1 promoter to enhance its transcription, thus further elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of photoperiodic flowering in Arabidopsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The survival prognosis of human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive and HPV-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is largely different, and little is known about the anti-tumor mechanism of tumor-infiltrated exhausted CD8+ T cells (Tex) in HNSCC. We performed cell-level multi-omics sequencing on human HNSCC samples to decipher the multidimensional characteristics of Tex cells. A proliferative exhausted CD8+ T cell cluster (P-Tex) which was beneficial to survival outcomes of patients with HPV-positive HNSCC was identified. Interestingly, P-Tex cells expressed CDK4 genes as high as cancer cells, which could be simultaneously inhibited by CDK4 inhibitors and might be a potential reason for the ineffectiveness of CDK4 inhibitors in treating HPV-positive HNSCC. P-Tex cells could aggregate in the antigenpresenting cell niches and activate certain signaling pathways. Together, our findings suggest a promising role for P-Tex cells in the prognosis of patients with HPV-positive HNSCC by providing modest but persistent anti-tumor effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]