Genome-wide analysis and expression profile of the bZIP gene family in poplar

Abstract Background The bZIP gene family, which is widely present in plants, participates in varied biological processes including growth and development and stress responses. How do the genes regulate such biological processes? Systems biology is powerful for mechanistic understanding of gene functions. However, such studies have not yet been reported in poplar. Results In this study, we identified 86 poplar bZIP transcription factors and described their conserved domains. According to the results of phylogenetic tree, we divided these members into 12 groups with specific gene structures and motif compositions. The corresponding genes that harbor a large number of segmental duplication events are unevenly distributed on the 17 poplar chromosomes. In addition, we further examined collinearity between these genes and the related genes from six other species. Evidence from transcriptomic data indicated that the bZIP genes in poplar displayed different expression patterns in roots, stems, and leaves. Furthermore, we identified 45 bZIP genes that respond to salt stress in the three tissues. We performed co-expression analysis on the representative genes, followed by gene set enrichment analysis. The results demonstrated that tissue differentially expressed genes, especially the co-expressing genes, are mainly involved in secondary metabolic and secondary metabolite biosynthetic processes. However, salt stress responsive genes and their co-expressing genes mainly participate in the regulation of metal ion transport, and methionine biosynthetic. Conclusions Using comparative genomics and systems biology approaches, we, for the first time, systematically explore the structures and functions of the bZIP gene family in poplar. It appears that the bZIP gene family plays significant roles in regulation of poplar development and growth and salt stress responses through differential gene networks or biological processes. These findings provide the foundation for genetic breeding by engineering target regulators and corresponding gene networks into poplar lines.

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Genome-wide Characterization of GRAS Transcription Factors and Their Potential Roles in Development and Drought Resilience in Rose (Rosa chinensis)

10.21203/rs.3.rs-312426/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Priya Kumari ◽

Vijay Gahlaut ◽

Ekjot Kaur ◽

Sanatsujat Singh ◽

Sanjay Kumar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Transcription Factors ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Phylogenetic Analyses ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Specific Gene ◽

Biological Processes ◽

Rosa Chinensis ◽

Genome Wide ◽

Am Symbiosis ◽

Hormone Responses

Abstract In the past few years, plant-specific GRAS transcription factors (TFs) were reported to play an essential role in regulating several biological processes, such as plant growth and development, phytochrome signal, arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) symbiosis, environmental stress responses. GRAS genes have been thoroughly studied in several plant species, but unexplored in Rosa chinensis (rose). In this study, 59 rose GRAS genes (RcGRAS) were identified. Phylogenetic analyses grouped RcGRAS genes into 17 subfamilies, of which subfamily Rc2 was Rosaceae family-specific. Gene structure analyses showed that most of the RcGRAS genes were intronless and were relatively conserved. Cis-element analyses suggested that RcGRAS genes may involve in distinct biological processes and responsive to diverse abiotic stresses. Most of the genes were localized in the nucleus, except for a few in the cytoplasm. Gene expression analysis was also performed in various tissues, during gibberellin (GA) and drought stress treatment. The expression patterns of RcGRAS genes during GA treatment and in response to drought stresses suggested the potential functions of these genes in regulating stress and hormone responses. In summary, a comprehensive exploration of the rose GRAS gene family was performed, and the generated information can be utilized for further functional-based studies on this family.

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Comprehensive Analysis of SRO Gene Family in Sesamum indicum (L.) Reveals Its Association with Abiotic Stress Responses

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms222313048 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (23) ◽

pp. 13048

Author(s):

Aili Liu ◽

Mengyuan Wei ◽

Yong Zhou ◽

Donghua Li ◽

Rong Zhou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Abiotic Stress ◽

Gene Family ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Abiotic Stress Tolerance ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Sesamum Indicum ◽

Specific Gene ◽

Transgenic Yeast ◽

Group I ◽

Wide Range

SIMILAR TO RCD-ONEs (SROs) comprise a small plant-specific gene family which play important roles in regulating numerous growth and developmental processes and responses to environmental stresses. However, knowledge of SROs in sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is limited. In this study, four SRO genes were identified in the sesame genome. Phylogenetic analysis showed that 64 SROs from 10 plant species were divided into two groups (Group I and II). Transcriptome data revealed different expression patterns of SiSROs over various tissues. Expression analysis showed that Group II SROs, especially SiSRO2b, exhibited a stronger response to various abiotic stresses and phytohormones than those in Group I, implying their crucial roles in response to environmental stimulus and hormone signals. In addition, the co-expression network and protein-protein interaction network indicated that SiSROs are associated with a wide range of stress responses. Moreover, transgenic yeast harboring SiSRO2b showed improved tolerance to salt, osmotic and oxidative stress, indicating SiSRO2b could confer multiple tolerances to transgenic yeast. Taken together, this study not only lays a foundation for further functional dissection of the SiSRO gene family, but also provides valuable gene candidates for genetic improvement of abiotic stress tolerance in sesame.

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The hard clam genome reveals massive expansion and diversification of inhibitors of apoptosis in Bivalvia

BMC Biology ◽

10.1186/s12915-020-00943-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Hao Song ◽

Ximing Guo ◽

Lina Sun ◽

Qianghui Wang ◽

Fengming Han ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Family ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Tandem Duplication ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Hard Clam ◽

Gene Repertoire ◽

Single Chromosome ◽

Inhibitors Of Apoptosis ◽

History Of ◽

Evolutionary Success

Abstract Background Inhibitors of apoptosis (IAPs) are critical regulators of programmed cell death that are essential for development, oncogenesis, and immune and stress responses. However, available knowledge regarding IAP is largely biased toward humans and model species, while the distribution, function, and evolutionary novelties of this gene family remain poorly understood in many taxa, including Mollusca, the second most speciose phylum of Metazoa. Results Here, we present a chromosome-level genome assembly of an economically significant bivalve, the hard clam Mercenaria mercenaria, which reveals an unexpected and dramatic expansion of the IAP gene family to 159 members, the largest IAP gene repertoire observed in any metazoan. Comparative genome analysis reveals that this massive expansion is characteristic of bivalves more generally. Reconstruction of the evolutionary history of molluscan IAP genes indicates that most originated in early metazoans and greatly expanded in Bivalvia through both lineage-specific tandem duplication and retroposition, with 37.1% of hard clam IAPs located on a single chromosome. The expanded IAPs have been subjected to frequent domain shuffling, which has in turn shaped their architectural diversity. Further, we observed that extant IAPs exhibit dynamic and orchestrated expression patterns among tissues and in response to different environmental stressors. Conclusions Our results suggest that sophisticated regulation of apoptosis enabled by the massive expansion and diversification of IAPs has been crucial for the evolutionary success of hard clam and other molluscan lineages, allowing them to cope with local environmental stresses. This study broadens our understanding of IAP proteins and expression diversity and provides novel resources for studying molluscan biology and IAP function and evolution.

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Genome-Wide Analysis of the NAC Transcription Factor Gene Family Reveals Differential Expression Patterns and Cold-Stress Responses in the Woody Plant Prunus mume

Genes ◽

10.3390/genes9100494 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (10) ◽

pp. 494 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Xiaokang Zhuo ◽

Tangchun Zheng ◽

Zhiyong Zhang ◽

Yichi Zhang ◽

Liangbao Jiang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cold Stress ◽

Gene Family ◽

Cold Tolerance ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Expression Profiles ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Freezing Stress ◽

Prunus Mume ◽

Flower Bud ◽

Freezing Resistance

NAC transcription factors (TFs) participate in multiple biological processes, including biotic and abiotic stress responses, signal transduction and development. Cold stress can adversely impact plant growth and development, thereby limiting agricultural productivity. Prunus mume, an excellent horticultural crop, is widely cultivated in Asian countries. Its flower can tolerate freezing-stress in the early spring. To investigate the putative NAC genes responsible for cold-stress, we identified and analyzed 113 high-confidence PmNAC genes and characterized them by bioinformatics tools and expression profiles. These PmNACs were clustered into 14 sub-families and distributed on eight chromosomes and scaffolds, with the highest number located on chromosome 3. Duplicated events resulted in a large gene family; 15 and 8 pairs of PmNACs were the result of tandem and segmental duplicates, respectively. Moreover, three membrane-bound proteins (PmNAC59/66/73) and three miRNA-targeted genes (PmNAC40/41/83) were identified. Most PmNAC genes presented tissue-specific and time-specific expression patterns. Sixteen PmNACs (PmNAC11/19/20/23/41/48/58/74/75/76/78/79/85/86/103/111) exhibited down-regulation during flower bud opening and are, therefore, putative candidates for dormancy and cold-tolerance. Seventeen genes (PmNAC11/12/17/21/29/42/30/48/59/66/73/75/85/86/93/99/111) were highly expressed in stem during winter and are putative candidates for freezing resistance. The cold-stress response pattern of 15 putative PmNACs was observed under 4 °C at different treatment times. The expression of 10 genes (PmNAC11/20/23/40/42/48/57/60/66/86) was upregulated, while 5 genes (PmNAC59/61/82/85/107) were significantly inhibited. The putative candidates, thus identified, have the potential for breeding the cold-tolerant horticultural plants. This study increases our understanding of functions of the NAC gene family in cold tolerance, thereby potentially intensifying the molecular breeding programs of woody plants.

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Genome-wide identification and characterization of GRAS transcription factors in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.3955 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

pp. e3955 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Yiling Niu ◽

Tingting Zhao ◽

Xiangyang Xu ◽

Jingfu Li

Keyword(s):

Gene Family ◽

Solanum Lycopersicum ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Gene Families ◽

Shoot Meristem ◽

Axillary Shoot ◽

Multiple Sequence ◽

Genome Wide ◽

First Time

Solanum lycopersicum, belonging to Solanaceae, is one of the commonly used model plants. The GRAS genes are transcriptional regulators, which play a significant role in plant growth and development, and the functions of several GRAS genes have been recognized, such as, axillary shoot meristem formation, radial root patterning, phytohormones (gibberellins) signal transduction, light signaling, and abiotic/biotic stress; however, only a few of these were identified and functionally characterized. In this study, a gene family was analyzed comprehensively with respect to phylogeny, gene structure, chromosomal localization, and expression pattern; the 54 GRAS members were screened from tomato by bioinformatics for the first time. The GRAS genes among tomato, Arabidopsis, rice, and grapevine were rebuilt to form a phylogenomic tree, which was divided into ten groups according to the previous classification of Arabidopsis and rice. A multiple sequence alignment exhibited the typical GRAS domain and conserved motifs similar to other gene families. Both the segmental and tandem duplications contributed significantly to the expansion and evolution of the GRAS gene family in tomato; the expression patterns across a variety of tissues and biotic conditions revealed potentially different functions of GRAS genes in tomato development and stress responses. Altogether, this study provides valuable information and robust candidate genes for future functional analysis for improving the resistance of tomato growth.

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Identification and expression analysis of E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes in cucumber

Canadian Journal of Plant Science ◽

10.1139/cjps-2020-0296 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Wei Lai ◽

Zhaoyang Hu ◽

Chuxia Zhu ◽

Yingui Yang ◽

Shiqiang Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Family ◽

Developmental Stages ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Biological Processes ◽

Protein Ubiquitination ◽

Genome Wide ◽

Conjugating Enzymes ◽

Gene Structures ◽

Ubiquitin Conjugating Enzymes ◽

Genome Wide Survey

Protein ubiquitination is one of the most common modifications that can degrade or modify proteins in eukaryotic cells. The E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes (UBCs) are involved in multiple biological processes of eukaryotes and their response to adverse stresses. Genome-wide survey of the UBC gene family has been performed in many plant species but not in cucumber (Cucumis sativus). In this study, a total of 38 UBC family genes (designated as CsUBC1–CsUBC38) were identified in cucumber. The phylogenetic analysis of UBC proteins from cucumber, Arabidopsis and maize indicated that these proteins could be divided into 15 groups. Most of the phylogenetically related CsUBC members had similar conserved motif patterns and gene structures. The CsUBC genes were unevenly distributed on seven chromosomes, and gene duplication analysis indicated that segmental duplication has played a significant role in the expansion of the cucumber UBC gene family. Promoter analysis of these genes resulted in the identification of many hormone-, stress- and development-related cis-elements. The CsUBC genes exhibited differential expression patterns in different tissues and developmental stages of fruit ripening. In addition, a total of 14 CsUBC genes were differentially expressed upon downy mildew (DM) infection compared with the control. Our results lay the foundation for further clarification of the roles of the CsUBC genes in the future.

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Identification and Expression Analysis of the NAC Gene Family in Coffea canephora

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy9110670 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

pp. 670 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Dong ◽

Jiang ◽

Yang ◽

Xiao ◽

Bai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cold Stress ◽

Gene Family ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Developmental Stages ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Coffea Canephora ◽

Coffee Bean ◽

Systematic Analysis ◽

Nac Gene Family ◽

Basic Features

The NAC gene family is one of the largest families of transcriptional regulators in plants, and it plays important roles in the regulation of growth and development as well as in stress responses. Genome-wide analyses have been performed in diverse plant species, but there is still no systematic analysis of the NAC genes of Coffea canephora Pierre ex A. Froehner. In this study, we identified 63 NAC genes from the genome of C. canephora. The basic features and comparison analysis indicated that the NAC gene members increased via duplication events during the evolution of the plant. Phylogenetic analysis divided the NAC proteins from C. canephora, Arabidopsis and rice into 16 subgroups. Analysis of the expression patterns of CocNACs under cold stress and coffee bean development indicated that 38 CocNACs were differentially expressed under cold stress; six genes may play important roles in the process of cold acclimation, and four genes among 54 CocNACs showing a variety of expression patterns during different developmental stages of coffee beans may be positively related to the bean development. This study can expand our understanding of the functions of the CocNAC gene family in cold responses and bean development, thereby potentially intensifying the molecular breeding programs of Coffea spp. plants.

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Genome-Wide Analysis of the TCP Gene Family in Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.)

International Journal of Genomics ◽

10.1155/2019/8514928 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Yuzhu Huo ◽

Wangdan Xiong ◽

Kunlong Su ◽

Yu Li ◽

Yawen Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Salt Stress ◽

Plant Growth ◽

Gene Family ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Panicum Virgatum ◽

Expression Profiles ◽

Specific Expression ◽

Genome Wide Analysis ◽

Genome Wide ◽

A Genome

The plant-specific transcription factor TCPs play multiple roles in plant growth, development, and stress responses. However, a genome-wide analysis of TCP proteins and their roles in salt stress has not been declared in switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.). In this study, 42 PvTCP genes (PvTCPs) were identified from the switchgrass genome and 38 members can be anchored to its chromosomes unevenly. Nine PvTCPs were predicted to be microRNA319 (miR319) targets. Furthermore, PvTCPs can be divided into three clades according to the phylogeny and conserved domains. Members in the same clade have the similar gene structure and motif localization. Although all PvTCPs were expressed in tested tissues, their expression profiles were different under normal condition. The specific expression may indicate their different roles in plant growth and development. In addition, approximately 20 cis-acting elements were detected in the promoters of PvTCPs, and 40% were related to stress response. Moreover, the expression profiles of PvTCPs under salt stress were also analyzed and 29 PvTCPs were regulated after NaCl treatment. Taken together, the PvTCP gene family was analyzed at a genome-wide level and their possible functions in salt stress, which lay the basis for further functional analysis of PvTCPs in switchgrass.

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Limit cycle dynamics can guide the evolution of gene regulatory networks towards point attractors

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-019-53251-w ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Stuart P. Wilson ◽

Sebastian S. James ◽

Daniel J. Whiteley ◽

Leah A. Krubitzer

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Limit Cycles ◽

Gene Networks ◽

Regulatory Networks ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Specific Gene ◽

Boolean Models ◽

A Genome ◽

Order Of Magnitude ◽

Accelerate Evolution

AbstractDevelopmental dynamics in Boolean models of gene networks self-organize, either into point attractors (stable repeating patterns of gene expression) or limit cycles (stable repeating sequences of patterns), depending on the network interactions specified by a genome of evolvable bits. Genome specifications for dynamics that can map specific gene expression patterns in early development onto specific point attractor patterns in later development are essentially impossible to discover by chance mutation alone, even for small networks. We show that selection for approximate mappings, dynamically maintained in the states comprising limit cycles, can accelerate evolution by at least an order of magnitude. These results suggest that self-organizing dynamics that occur within lifetimes can, in principle, guide natural selection across lifetimes.

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