scholarly journals Genome-Wide Identification and Functional Analysis of the Basic Helix-Loop-Helix (bHLH) Transcription Family Reveals Candidate PtFBH Genes Involved in the Flowering Process of Populus trichocarpa

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1439
Author(s):  
Yang Ye ◽  
Haodong Xin ◽  
Xiting Gu ◽  
Jianwen Ma ◽  
Lingli Li

As one of the largest TF families+ in plants, the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) family plays an important part in the growth and development of many plants. FLOWERING BHLH (FBH) encodes a bHLH-type transcriptional factor related to the flowering process. Poplar is a model woody plant as well as an important economic tree species with a small genome. However, the characteristics of the bHLHs and FBHs gene family in the newest version of Populustrichocarpa genome have not been analyzed yet. We identified 233 PtbHLHs and 10 PtFBHs in the newest version genome, and PtbHLHs were classified into 21 groups with FBH subfamily occupying one, supported by phylogenetic analysis, exon–intron patterns, and conserved protein motifs. These PtHLHs were distributed on 19 chromosomes unevenly and expressed in nucleus mainly. Gene duplication and synteny analysis have indicated that the PtbHLHs gene family has undergone strong purification selection during the evolution process. The cis-elements analysis has suggested that PtbHLHs may be related to the growth and development. Conserved residues of FBHs among Arabidopsis and poplar were also identified. Expression of 227 PtHLH genes (6 unmatched, 13 no expressed) showed diverse patterns in different tissues, implying their multiple functions. Protein–protein interaction network prediction and expression patterns in three states of the flowering process (Flowers-Dormant, Flowers-Expanding and Flowers-Expanded) suggested that some members of PtbHLH and PtFBH family may be involved in the flowering process. Our comprehensive and systematic analysis can provide some valuable clues and basic reference toward further investigations on physiological and molecular functions of PtbHLHs.

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 315
Author(s):  
Hanzeng Wang ◽  
Xue Leng ◽  
Xuemei Xu ◽  
Chenghao Li

The TIFY gene family is specific to land plants, exerting immense influence on plant growth and development as well as responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Here, we identify 25 TIFY genes in the poplar (Populus trichocarpa) genome. Phylogenetic tree analysis revealed these PtrTIFY genes were divided into four subfamilies within two groups. Promoter cis-element analysis indicated most PtrTIFY genes possess stress- and phytohormone-related cis-elements. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT–PCR) analysis showed that PtrTIFY genes displayed different expression patterns in roots under abscisic acid, methyl jasmonate, and salicylic acid treatments, and drought, heat, and cold stresses. The protein interaction network indicated that members of the PtrTIFY family may interact with COI1, MYC2/3, and NINJA. Our results provide important information and new insights into the evolution and functions of TIFY genes in P. trichocarpa.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Songfeng Diao ◽  
Hong Liu ◽  
Zhongrui Lv ◽  
Caiyun He ◽  
Aiguo Duan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor gene family is one of the largest gene families and extensively involved in plant growth, organ development, and stress responses. However, limited studies are available on the gene family in sea buckthorn. Results In this study, we focused on 144 HrbHLH genes, exploring their DNA and protein sequences and physicochemical properties. According to their protein sequence similarities, we classified the genes into 15 groups with specific motif structures. In order to explore their expressions, we performed gene expression profiling using RNA-Seq and identified 108 HrbHLH genes that expressed in five sea buckthorn tissue, including root nodule, root, leaf, stem and fruit. Furthermore, we found 11 increased expressed HrbHLH genes during sea buckthorn fruit development. We validated the expression pattern of HrbHLH genes using reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR. Conclusions This study lays the foundation for future studies on gene cloning, transgenes, and biological mechanisms. We performed a genome-wide, systematic analysis of bHLH proteins in sea buckthorn. This comprehensive analysis provides a useful resource that enables further investigation of the physiological roles and molecular functions of the HrbHLH TFs.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Li ◽  
Fu Shi ◽  
Yanbin Guan ◽  
Guoli Wang ◽  
Yufan Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The SQUAMOSA-PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) genes encode a family of plant-specific transcription factors that contain a conservative SBP domain. SPL proteins play important roles in plant growth and development, such as plant architecture, flowering regulation, and grain yield. However, the systematic analysis of TaSPL gene family in wheat is lacking.Results: In this study, 56 TaSPL genes were identified from wheat genome and divided into eight groups (G1-G8), according to the phylogenetic analysis of TaSPL proteins among numbers of plant species. Bioinformatics method were applied to analyse the gene structure, motif, chromosome localization, segmental duplication and synteny of total TaSPL genes and the results showed that their characteristics were different among group in the exon-intron constitution, conserved and specific motif. The expansion and evolution of the TaSPL genes occurred within the wheat genome. Total 28 of 56 TaSPL genes were predicted to be putative targets for miR156, which revealed the importance of miR156-mediated regulation in wheat. Moreover, transcript level analysis of TaSPL genes in wheat tissues by qRT-PCR discovered the diversified spatiotemporal expression patterns, based on the comparison with reference RNA-seq data. Some TaSPL genes were subject to various stress treatments including drought and hormones, etc. suggesting that these part genes probably involved in responding to hormone signals during different wheat development stages. Conclusions: Our findings show that TaSPL genes may regulate the development of spike and grain, resistance to abiotic stresses, and involve in responding to hormone signals. These results could provide a fundamentally information to further study of the functions of TaSPL genes in wheat growth and development.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shengdong Li ◽  
Zhao Liu ◽  
Guoquan Chen ◽  
Ghulam Qanmber ◽  
Lili Lu ◽  
...  

Brassinosteroids (BRs), an efficient plant endogenous hormone, significantly promotes plant nutrient growth adapting to biological and abiotic adversities. BRs mainly promote plant cell elongation by regulating gene expression patterns. EXORDIUM (EXO) genes have been characterized as the indicators of BR response genes. Cotton, an ancient crop, is of great economic value and its fibers can be made into all kinds of fabrics. However, EXO gene family genes have not been full identified in cotton. 175 EXO genes were identified in nine plant species, of which 39 GhEXO genes in Gossypium hirsutum in our study. A phylogenetic analysis grouped all of the proteins encoded by the EXO genes into five major clades. Sequence identification of conserved amino acid residues among monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous species showed a high level of conservation across the N and C terminal regions. Only 25% the GhEXO genes contain introns besides conserved gene structure and protein motifs distribution. The 39 GhEXO genes were unevenly distributed on the 18 At and Dt sub-genome chromosomes. Most of the GhEXO genes were derived from gene duplication events, while only three genes showed evidence of tandem duplication. Homologous locus relationships showed that 15 GhEXO genes are located on collinear blocks and that all orthologous/paralogous gene pairs had Ka > Ks values, indicating purifying selection pressure. The GhEXO genes showed ubiquitous expression in all eight tested cotton tissues and following exposure to three phytohormones, IAA, GA, and BL. Furthermore, GhEXO7_At was mainly expressed in response to BL treatment, and was predominantly expressed in the fibers. GhEXO7_At was found to be a plasma membrane protein, and its ectopic expression in Arabidopsis mediated BR-regulated plant growth and development with altered expression of DWF4, CPD, KCS1, and EXP5. Additionally, the functions of GhEXO7_At were confirmed by virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) in cotton. This study will provide important genetic resources for future cotton breeding programs.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liming Miao ◽  
Yingying Gao ◽  
Kun Zhao ◽  
Lijun Kong ◽  
Shubo Yu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The basic helix–loop–helix (bHLH) transcription factors exist widely in eukaryotes and play important roles in development and stress response regulation in plants. The bHLH gene family has been identified in many species, except for Brassica oleracea and Brassica napus thus far. This study aims to identify the bHLH family members in B. oleracea, Brassica rapa, and B. napus and elucidate the expression, duplication, phylogeny and evolution characters of these genes. Result: A total of 268 bHLH genes in B. oleracea, 440 genes in B. napus, and 251 genes in B. rapa, including 21 new bHLH members, have been identified. Subsequently, the analysis of the phylogenetic tree, conserved motifs and gene structures showed that the members in the same subfamily were highly conserved. Most Ka/Ks values of the homologous gene were <1, which indicated that the homologous genes suffered from strong purifying selection for retention. The Ks values of the three Brassica crops were concentrated in the range of 0.3–0.5. Hence, the divergence time of the bHLH gene family between Brassica crops and Arabidopsis thaliana is approximately 10–18 MYA. The retention rates of BrabHLH and BolbHLH genes were 51.6% and 55.1%, respectively. A total of 182 genes were lost in B. napus after tetraploid. GO annotations of BolbHLH genes showed that most genes focused on DNA-binding transcription factor, DNA-binding, and protein dimerization activities. The temporal and spatial expression patterns of 50 BolbHLH genes were diverse, some of which showing high expression in the reproduction tissue, while some had high expression in the root. The comparison of expression patterns between B. rapa and B. napus showed that they had similar expression patterns in the root and contrasting patterns in the stems, leaves, and reproduction tissues. However, the expression patterns of B. oleracea and B. napus were different. Conclusion: This study is the first to report about the gene family analysis of the bHLH gene in B. oleracea and B. napus. Our results not only offer useful information on the functional analysis of the bHLH gene but also provide new insights into the evolution of Brassica spp.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (24) ◽  
pp. 13366
Author(s):  
Xuechun Wang ◽  
Nan Chao ◽  
Aijing Zhang ◽  
Jiaqi Kang ◽  
Xiangning Jiang ◽  
...  

Caffeoyl shikimate esterase (CSE) hydrolyzes caffeoyl shikimate into caffeate and shikimate in the phenylpropanoid pathway. In this study, we performed a systematic analysis of the CSE gene family and investigated the possible roles of CSE and CSE-like genes in Populus. We conducted a genome-wide analysis of the CSE gene family, including functional and phylogenetic analyses of CSE and CSE-like genes, using the poplar (Populus trichocarpa) genome. Eighteen CSE and CSE-like genes were identified in the Populus genome, and five phylogenetic groups were identified from phylogenetic analysis. CSEs in Group Ia, which were proposed as bona fide CSEs, have probably been lost in most monocots except Oryza sativa. Primary functional classification showed that PoptrCSE1 and PoptrCSE2 had putative function in lignin biosynthesis. In addition, PoptrCSE2, along with PoptrCSE12, might also respond to stress with a function in cell wall biosynthesis. Enzymatic assay of PoptoCSE1 (Populus tomentosa), -2 and -12 showed that PoptoCSE1 and -2 maintained CSE activity. PoptoCSE1 and 2 had similar biochemical properties, tissue expression patterns and subcellular localization. Most of the PoptrCSE-like genes are homologs of AtMAGL (monoacylglycerol lipase) genes in Arabidopsis and may function as MAG lipase in poplar. Our study provides a systematic understanding of this novel gene family and suggests the function of CSE in monolignol biosynthesis in Populus.


Genes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 914
Author(s):  
Shan ◽  
Zhang ◽  
Yu ◽  
Wang ◽  
Li ◽  
...  

Basic helix–loop–helix (bHLH) transcription factor (TF) family is commonly found in eukaryotes, which is one of the largest families of regulator proteins. It plays an important role in plant growth and development, as well as various biotic and abiotic stresses. However, a comprehensive analysis of the bHLH family has not been reported in Brassica oleracea. In this study, we systematically describe the BobHLHs in the phylogenetic relationships, expression patterns in different organs/tissues, and in response to chilling stress, and gene and protein characteristics. A total of 234 BobHLH genes were identified in the B. oleracea genome and were further clustered into twenty-three subfamilies based on the phylogenetic analyses. A large number of BobHLH genes were unevenly located on nine chromosomes of B. oleracea. Analysis of RNA-Seq expression profiles revealed that 21 BobHLH genes exhibited organ/tissue-specific expression. Additionally, the expression of six BobHLHs (BobHLH003, -048, -059, -093, -109, and -148) were significantly down-regulated in chilling-sensitive cabbage (CS-D9) and chilling-tolerant cabbage (CT-923). At 24h chilling stress, BobHLH054 was significantly down-regulated and up-regulated in chilling-treated CS-D9 and CT-923. Conserved motif characterization and exon/intron structural patterns showed that BobHLH genes had similar structures in the same subfamily. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of BobHLH genes and reveals several candidate genes involved in chilling tolerance of B. oleracea, which may be helpful to clarify the roles of bHLH family members and understand the regulatory mechanisms of BobHLH genes in response to the chilling stress of cabbage.


Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong ◽  
Jiang ◽  
Yang ◽  
Xiao ◽  
Bai ◽  
...  

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.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (12) ◽  
pp. 3044 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingqi Hong ◽  
Naveed Ahmad ◽  
Yuanyuan Tian ◽  
Jianyu Liu ◽  
Liyan Wang ◽  
...  

The basic helix–loop–helix (bHLH) family is the second largest superfamily of transcription factors that belongs to all three eukaryotic kingdoms. The key function of this superfamily is the regulation of growth and developmental mechanisms in plants. However, the bHLH gene family in Carthamus tinctorius has not yet been studied. Here, we identified 41 bHLH genes in Carthamus tinctorius that were classified into 23 subgroups. Further, we conducted a phylogenetic analysis and identified 10 conserved protein motifs found in the safflower bHLH family. We comprehensively analyzed a group of bHLH genes that could be associated with flavonoid biosynthesis in safflower by gene expression analysis, gene ontology annotation, protein interaction network prediction, subcellular localization of the candidate CtbHLH40 gene, and real-time quantitative expression analysis. This study provides genome-wide identification of the genes related to biochemical and physiological processes in safflower.


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