**5. Conclusions**

In conclusion, the present study provides new notions about the function of Dof TFs in moso bamboo and shows PheCOL12-1 as a key factor with multiple roles related to abiotic stress, and the developmental program underlying the transition from the vegetative to the reproductive phase under LD conditions. PheCOL12-1 is a nucleus-localized transcription factor that regulates photoperiodic-related regulators. These findings not only increase our understanding of the functional roles of Dof proteins in the regulation of abiotic stress and flowering time, but also provide an important candidate gene for studying molecular regulation mechanisms of moso bamboo flowering.

**Supplementary Materials:** Supplementary materials can be found at http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/20/2/ 424/s1.

**Author Contributions:** J.L. and J.G. designed the experiments; X.L., and L.X. performed the tissue and organ collection; J.L. writing—original draft preparation; Z.C. writing—review and editing; J.G. review and funding acquisition.

**Funding:** This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 31570673).

**Conflicts of Interest:** Authors declare that there is no competing interest.
