The StBBX24 protein affects the floral induction and mediates salt tolerance in .

The transition from vegetative growth to reproductive development is a critical developmental switch in flowering plants to ensure a successful life cycle. However, while the genes controlling flowering are well-known in model plants, they are less well-understood in crops. In this work, we generated potato lines both silenced and overexpressed for the expression of , a clock-controlled gene encoding a B-box protein located in the cytosol and nuclear chromatin fraction. We revealed that lines silenced for expression displayed much earlier flowering than wild-type plants. Conversely, plants overexpressing mostly did not produce flower buds other than wild-type plants. In addition, RT-qPCR analyses of transgenic silenced lines revealed substantial modifications in the expression of genes functioning in flowering. Furthermore, lines silenced for expression displayed susceptibility to high salinity with a lower capacity of the antioxidant system and strongly decreased expression of genes encoding Na transporters that mediate salt tolerance, contrary to the plants with overexpression. Altogether, these data reveal that StBBX24 participates in potato flowering repression and is involved in salt stress response.