Engineering transcription factors: An emerging strategy for developing abiotic stress-tolerant crops

Vascular plant one-zinc-finger (VOZ) transcription factor, a plant specific one-zinc-finger-type transcriptional activator, is involved in regulating numerous biological processes such as floral induction and development, defense against pathogens, and response to multiple types of abiotic stress. Six VOZ transcription factor-encoding genes (GmVOZs) have been reported to exist in the soybean (Glycine max) genome. In spite of this, little information is currently available regarding GmVOZs. In this study, GmVOZs were cloned and characterized. GmVOZ genes encode proteins possessing transcriptional activation activity in yeast cells. GmVOZ1E, GmVOZ2B, and GmVOZ2D gene products were widely dispersed in the cytosol, while GmVOZ1G was primarily located in the nucleus. GmVOZs displayed a differential expression profile under dehydration, salt, and salicylic acid (SA) stress conditions. Among them, GmVOZ1G showed a significantly induced expression in response to all stress treatments. Overexpression of GmVOZ1G in soybean hairy roots resulted in a greater tolerance to drought and salt stress. In contrast, RNA interference (RNAi) soybean hairy roots suppressing GmVOZ1G were more sensitive to both of these stresses. Under drought treatment, soybean composite plants with an overexpression of hairy roots had higher relative water content (RWC). In response to drought and salt stress, lower malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation and higher peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were observed in soybean composite seedlings with an overexpression of hairy roots. The opposite results for each physiological parameter were obtained in RNAi lines. In conclusion, GmVOZ1G positively regulates drought and salt stress tolerance in soybean hairy roots. Our results will be valuable for the functional characterization of soybean VOZ transcription factors under abiotic stress.

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Make Your Best - MYB Transcription Factors for Improving Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crops

Improving Crop Resistance to Abiotic Stress ◽

10.1002/9783527632930.ch21 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 481-506 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Andrea Pitzschke

Keyword(s):

Transcription Factors ◽

Abiotic Stress ◽

Stress Tolerance ◽

Abiotic Stress Tolerance ◽

Myb Transcription Factors

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CCCH Zinc Finger Genes in Barley: Genome-Wide Identification, Evolution, Expression and Haplotype Analysis

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1114922/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Qi Ai ◽

Wenqiu Pan ◽

Yan Zeng ◽

Yihan Li ◽

Licao Cui

Keyword(s):

Transcription Factors ◽

Abiotic Stress ◽

Zinc Finger ◽

Molecular Breeding ◽

Animal Feed ◽

Expression Profiles ◽

Exome Capture ◽

Biotic And Abiotic Stress ◽

Motif Analysis ◽

Developmental Processes

Abstract Background: CCCH transcription factors are important zinc finger transcription factors involved in the response to biotic and abiotic stress and physiological and developmental processes. Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is an agriculturally important cereal crop with multiple uses, such as brewing production, animal feed, and human food. The identification and assessment of new functional genes are important for the molecular breeding of barley. Results: In this study, a total of 35 protein-encoding CCCH genes unevenly dispersed on seven different chromosomes were identified in barley. Phylogenetic analysis categorized the barley CCCH genes (HvC3Hs) into seven subfamilies according to their distinct features, and this classification was supported by intron–exon structure and conserved motif analysis. Despite the large genome size of barley, the lower number of CCCH genes in barley might be attributed to the low frequency of segmental and tandem duplication events. Furthermore, the HvC3H genes displayed distinct expression profiles for different developmental processes and in response to various types of stresses. The expression of HvC3H9 was significantly induced by multiple types of abiotic stress and/or phytohormone treatment, which might make it an excellent target for the molecular breeding of barley. Genetic variation of HvC3Hs was characterized using publicly available exome-capture sequencing datasets. Clear genetic divergence was observed between wild and landrace barley populations in HvC3H genes. For most HvC3Hs, nucleotide diversity and the number of haplotype polymorphisms decreased during barley domestication. Conclusion: Overall, our study provides a comprehensive characterization of barley CCCH transcription factors, their diversity, and their biological functions.

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Functions of Jasmonic Acid in Plant Regulation and Response to Abiotic Stress

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms21041446 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (4) ◽

pp. 1446 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Jia Wang ◽

Li Song ◽

Xue Gong ◽

Jinfan Xu ◽

Minhui Li

Keyword(s):

Transcription Factors ◽

Abiotic Stress ◽

Jasmonic Acid ◽

Signaling Pathways ◽

Signaling Pathway ◽

Large Scale ◽

Higher Plants ◽

Complex Signal ◽

Ja Signaling ◽

Signal Network

Jasmonic acid (JA) is an endogenous growth-regulating substance, initially identified as a stress-related hormone in higher plants. Similarly, the exogenous application of JA also has a regulatory effect on plants. Abiotic stress often causes large-scale plant damage. In this review, we focus on the JA signaling pathways in response to abiotic stresses, including cold, drought, salinity, heavy metals, and light. On the other hand, JA does not play an independent regulatory role, but works in a complex signal network with other phytohormone signaling pathways. In this review, we will discuss transcription factors and genes involved in the regulation of the JA signaling pathway in response to abiotic stress. In this process, the JAZ-MYC module plays a central role in the JA signaling pathway through integration of regulatory transcription factors and related genes. Simultaneously, JA has synergistic and antagonistic effects with abscisic acid (ABA), ethylene (ET), salicylic acid (SA), and other plant hormones in the process of resisting environmental stress.

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Genome-wide study of pineapple (Ananas comosus L.) bHLH transcription factors indicates that cryptochrome-interacting bHLH2 (AcCIB2) participates in flowering time regulation and abiotic stress response

BMC Genomics ◽

10.1186/s12864-020-07152-2 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Mohammad Aslam ◽

Bello Hassan Jakada ◽

Beenish Fakher ◽

Joseph G. Greaves ◽

Xiaoping Niu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Transcription Factors ◽

Abiotic Stress ◽

Stress Response ◽

Flowering Time ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Ectopic Expression ◽

Ananas Comosus ◽

Biological Processes ◽

Abiotic Stress Response ◽

Bhlh Genes

Abstract Background Transcription factors (TFs) are essential regulators of growth and development in eukaryotes. Basic-helix-loop-helix (bHLHs) is one of the most significant TFs families involved in several critical regulatory functions. Cryptochrome-interacting bHLH (CIB) and cryptochromes form an extensive regulatory network to mediate a plethora of pathways. Although bHLHs regulate critical biological processes in plants, the information about pineapple bHLHs remains unexplored. Results Here, we identified a total of 121 bHLH proteins in the pineapple genome. The identified genes were renamed based on the ascending order of their gene ID and classified into 18 subgroups by phylogenetic analysis. We found that bHLH genes are expressed in different organs and stages of pineapple development. Furthermore, by the ectopic expression of AcCIB2 in Arabidopsis and complementation of Atcib2 mutant, we verified the involvement of AcCIB2 in photomorphogenesis and abiotic stress response. Conclusions Our findings revealed that AcCIB2 plays an essential role in flowering time regulation and abiotic stress response. The present study provides additional insights into the current knowledge of bHLH genes and suggests their potential role in various biological processes during pineapple development.

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Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of the bZIP Transcription Factors in the Mycoparasite Coniothyrium minitans

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms8071045 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (7) ◽

pp. 1045

Author(s):

Yuping Xu ◽

Yongchun Wang ◽

Huizhang Zhao ◽

Mingde Wu ◽

Jing Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Transcription Factors ◽

Abiotic Stress ◽

Gene Family ◽

Expression Analysis ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Leucine Zipper ◽

Coniothyrium Minitans ◽

Basic Leucine Zipper ◽

Bzip Domain ◽

Conidial Development

The basic leucine zipper (bZIP) proteins family is one of the largest and most diverse transcription factors, widely distributed in eukaryotes. However, no information is available regarding the bZIP gene family in Coniothyrium minitans, an important biocontrol agent of the plant pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. In this study, we identified 34 bZIP genes from the C. minitans genome, which were classified into 8 groups based on their phylogenetic relationships. Intron analysis showed that 28 CmbZIP genes harbored a variable number of introns, and 15 of them shared a feature that intron inserted into the bZIP domain. The intron position in bZIP domain was highly conserved, which was related to recognize the arginine (R) and could be treated as a genomic imprinting. Expression analysis of the CmbZIP genes in response to abiotic stresses indicated that they might play distinct roles in abiotic stress responses. Results showed that 22 CmbZIP genes were upregulated during the later stage of conidial development. Furthermore, transcriptome analysis indicated that CmbZIP genes are involved in different stages of mycoparasitism. Among deletion mutants of four CmbZIPs (CmbZIP07, -09, -13, and -16), only ΔCmbZIP16 mutants significantly reduced its tolerance to the oxidative stress. The other mutants exhibited no significant effects on colony morphology, mycelial growth, conidiation, and mycoparasitism. Taken together, our results suggested that CmbZIP genes play important roles in the abiotic stress responses, conidial development, and mycoparasitism. These results provide comprehensive information of the CmbZIP gene family and lay the foundation for further research on the bZIP gene family regarding their biological functions and evolutionary history.

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NAC Transcription Factors from Soybean (Glycine max L.) Differentially Regulated by Abiotic Stress

Journal of Plant Biology ◽

10.1007/s12374-018-0285-2 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 62 (2) ◽

pp. 147-160 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Hyun-Ah So ◽

Jai-Heon Lee

Keyword(s):

Transcription Factors ◽

Abiotic Stress ◽

Glycine Max ◽

Nac Transcription Factors ◽

Glycine Max L

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Crassulacean Acid Metabolism Abiotic Stress-Responsive Transcription Factors: a Potential Genetic Engineering Approach for Improving Crop Tolerance to Abiotic Stress

Frontiers in Plant Science ◽

10.3389/fpls.2019.00129 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Atia B. Amin ◽

Kumudu N. Rathnayake ◽

Won C. Yim ◽

Travis M. Garcia ◽

Beate Wone ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Transcription Factors ◽

Abiotic Stress ◽

Genetic Engineering ◽

Crassulacean Acid Metabolism ◽

Acid Metabolism ◽

Crop Tolerance ◽

Engineering Approach

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Genome-Wide Characterization, Expression Profile Analysis of WRKY Family Genes in Santalum album and Functional Identification of Their Role in Abiotic Stress

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms20225676 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (22) ◽

pp. 5676 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Haifeng Yan ◽

Mingzhi Li ◽

Yuping Xiong ◽

Jianming Wu ◽

Jaime A. Teixeira da Silva ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Transcription Factors ◽

Abiotic Stress ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Expression Profiles ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Protein Sequences ◽

Santalum Album ◽

Biotic And Abiotic Stress ◽

Functional Identification ◽

Wrky Protein

WRKY proteins are a large superfamily of transcription factors that are involved in diverse biological processes including development, as well as biotic and abiotic stress responses in plants. WRKY family proteins have been extensively characterized and analyzed in many plant species, including Arabidopsis, rice, and poplar. However, knowledge on WRKY transcription factors in Santalum album is scarce. Based on S. album genome and transcriptome data, 64 SaWRKY genes were identified in this study. A phylogenetic analysis based on the structures of WRKY protein sequences divided these genes into three major groups (I, II, III) together with WRKY protein sequences from Arabidopsis. Tissue-specific expression patterns showed that 37 SaWRKY genes were expressed in at least one of five tissues (leaves, roots, heartwood, sapwood, or the transition zone), while the remaining four genes weakly expressed in all of these tissues. Analysis of the expression profiles of the 42 SaWRKY genes after callus was initiated by salicylic acid (SA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) revealed that 25 and 24 SaWRKY genes, respectively, were significantly induced. The function of SaWRKY1, which was significantly up-regulated by SA and MeJA, was analyzed. SaWRKY1 was localized in the nucleus and its overexpression improved salt tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis. Our study provides important information to further identify the functions of SaWRKY genes and to understand the roles of SaWRKY family genes involved in the development and in SA- and MeJA-mediated stress responses.

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