scholarly journals Genome-Wide Characterization of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) GRAS Genes and Their Response to Various Abiotic Stresses

Horticulturae ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 110
Author(s):  
Caixia Li ◽  
Shaoyun Dong ◽  
Xiaoping Liu ◽  
Kailiang Bo ◽  
Han Miao ◽  
...  

The GRAS (gibberellic acid insensitive, repressor of GAI, and scarecrow) proteins are a family of plant-specific transcription factors that regulate plant growth, development, and stress response. Currently, the role of GRAS transcription factors in various abiotic stress responses has not been systematically studied in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), a popular vegetable crop. Here, we provide a comprehensive bioinformatics analysis of the 35 GRAS genes identified in the cucumber genome. In this study, cucumber genotypes, i.e., “CG104”, which is stress-tolerant, and genotype “CG37”, which is stress-sensitive, were examined to provide insight on potential differences in the GRAS-regulated abiotic stress pathways. Transcriptional analysis by RNA-seq or qRT-PCR of these two genotypes revealed common and divergent functions of CsGRAS genes regulated by low and high temperatures, salinity, and by exposure to the phytohormones gibberellin (GA) and abscisic acid (ABA). Notably, CsGRAS2 (DELLA) and CsGRAS26 (LISCL) were regulated by all abiotic stresses and hormone treatments, suggesting that they may function in the biological cross-talk between multiple signaling pathways. This study provides candidate genes for improving cucumber tolerance to various environmental stresses.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duo Lv ◽  
Gang Wang ◽  
Yue Chen ◽  
Liang-Rong Xiong ◽  
Jing-Xian Sun ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Lectin receptor-like kinases (LecRLKs) are a class of membrane proteins found in plants that are involved in diverse functions, including plant development and stress responses. Although LecRLK families have been identified in a variety of plants, a comprehensive analysis has not yet been undertaken in cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.).Results In this study, 46 putative LecRLK genes were identified in cucumber genome, including 23 G-type, 22 L-type and 1 C-type LecRLK genes. They unequally distributed on all 7 chromosomes with a clustering trendency. Most of the genes in the cucumber LecRLK (Cs LecRLK) gene family lacked introns. In addition, there were many regulatory elements associated with phytohormone and stress on these genes’ promoters. Transcriptome data demonstrated that distinct expression patterns of CsLecRLK genes in various tissues. Furthermore, we found that each member of the CsLecRLK family had its own unique expression pattern under hormone and stress treatment by the quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis.Conclusion This study provides a better understanding of the evolution and function of LecRLK gene family in cucumber, and opens the possibility to explore the roles that LecRLK s might play in the life cycle of cucumber.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nouf Owdah Alshareef ◽  
Elodie Rey ◽  
Holly Khoury ◽  
Mark Tester ◽  
Sandra M. Schmöckel

AbstractChenopodium quinoa Willd. (quinoa) is a pseudocereal with high nutritional value and relatively high tolerance to several abiotic stresses, including water deficiency and salt stress, making it a suitable plant for the study of mechanisms of abiotic stress tolerance. NAC (NAM, ATAF and CUC) transcription factors are involved in a range of plant developmental processes and in the response of plants to biotic and abiotic stresses. In the present study, we perform a genome-wide comprehensive analysis of the NAC transcription factor gene family in quinoa. In total, we identified 107 quinoa NAC transcription factor genes, distributed equally between sub-genomes A and B. They are phylogenetically clustered into two major groups and 18 subgroups. Almost 75% of the identified CqNAC genes were duplicated two to seven times and the remaining 25% of the CqNAC genes were found as a single copy. We analysed the transcriptional responses of the identified quinoa NAC TF genes in response to various abiotic stresses. The transcriptomic data revealed 28 stress responsive CqNAC genes, where their expression significantly changed in response to one or more abiotic stresses, including salt, water deficiency, heat and phosphate starvation. Among these stress responsive NACs, some were previously known to be stress responsive in other species, indicating their potentially conserved function in response to abiotic stress across plant species. Six genes were differentially expressed specifically in response to phosphate starvation but not to other stresses, and these genes may play a role in controlling plant responses to phosphate deficiency. These results provide insights into quinoa NACs that could be used in the future for genetic engineering or molecular breeding.


Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 788 ◽  
Author(s):  
Youngdae Yoon ◽  
Deok Hyun Seo ◽  
Hoyoon Shin ◽  
Hui Jin Kim ◽  
Chul Min Kim ◽  
...  

Abiotic stresses, such as drought, high temperature, and salinity, affect plant growth and productivity. Furthermore, global climate change may increase the frequency and severity of abiotic stresses, suggesting that development of varieties with improved stress tolerance is critical for future sustainable crop production. Improving stress tolerance requires a detailed understanding of the hormone signaling and transcriptional pathways involved in stress responses. Abscisic acid (ABA) and jasmonic acid (JA) are key stress-response hormones in plants, and some stress-responsive transcription factors such as ABFs and MYCs function as direct components of ABA and JA signaling, playing a pivotal role in plant tolerance to abiotic stress. In addition, extensive studies have identified other stress-responsive transcription factors belonging to the NAC, AP2/ERF, MYB, and WRKY families that mediate plant response and tolerance to abiotic stress. These suggest that transcriptional regulation of stress-responsive genes is an essential step to determine the mechanisms underlying plant stress responses and tolerance to abiotic stress, and that these transcription factors may be important targets for development of crops with enhanced abiotic stress tolerance. In this review, we briefly describe the mechanisms underlying plant abiotic stress responses, focusing on ABA and JA metabolism and signaling pathways. We then summarize the diverse array of transcription factors involved in plant responses to abiotic stress, while noting their potential applications for improvement of stress tolerance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing-Na Ru ◽  
Ze-Hao Hou ◽  
Lei Zheng ◽  
Qi Zhao ◽  
Feng-Zhi Wang ◽  
...  

DEAD-box RNA helicases constitute the largest subfamily of RNA helicase superfamily 2 (SF2), and play crucial roles in plant growth, development, and abiotic stress responses. Wheat is one of the most important cereal crops in worldwide, and abiotic stresses greatly restrict its production. So far, the DEAD-box RNA helicase family has yet to be characterized in wheat. Here, we performed a comprehensive genome-wide analysis of the DEAD-box RNA helicase family in wheat, including phylogenetic relationships, chromosomal distribution, duplication events, and protein motifs. A total of 141 TaDEAD-box genes were identified and found to be unevenly distributed across all 21 chromosomes. Whole genome/segmental duplication was identified as the likely main driving factor for expansion of the TaDEAD-box family. Expression patterns of the 141 TaDEAD-box genes were compared across different tissues and under abiotic stresses to identify genes to be important in growth or stress responses. TaDEAD-box57-3B was significantly up-regulated under multiple abiotic stresses, and was therefore selected for further analysis. TaDEAD-box57-3B was localized to the cytoplasm and plasma membrane. Ectopic expression of TaDEAD-box57-3B in Arabidopsis improved tolerance to drought and salt stress as measured by germination rates, root lengths, fresh weights, and survival rates. Transgenic lines also showed higher levels of proline and chlorophyll and lower levels of malonaldehyde (MDA) than WT plants in response to drought or salt stress. In response to cold stress, the transgenic lines showed significantly better growth and higher survival rates than WT plants. These results indicate that TaDEAD-box57-3B may increase tolerance to drought, salt, and cold stress in transgenic plants through regulating the degree of membrane lipid peroxidation. This study provides new insights for understanding evolution and function in the TaDEAD-box gene family.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongying Yu ◽  
Yaying Ma ◽  
Yijing Lu ◽  
Jingjing Yue ◽  
Ray Ming

Abstract DNA-binding with one finger (Dof) transcription factors are plant-specific transcription factors involved in numerous pathways of plant development, especially in respond to abiotic stresses. Although genome-wide analysis of this gene family has been performed in many species, Dof genes in spinach have not been thoroughly analyzed. We performed a genome-wide analysis and characterization of Dof gene family in spinach. Twenty two Dof genes were identified and classified into four groups with nine subgroups, which was further corroborated by gene structure and motif analyses. Ka/Ks analysis revealed that SoDofs were subjected to purify selection. Using Cis-acting elements analysis, SoDofs were involved in plant growth and development, plant hormones and stress responses. Expression profiling demonstrated that SoDofs expressed in leaf and inflorescence, and responded to cold, heat, and drought stresses. SoDof22 expressed the highest level in male flowers and under cold stress. These results provided a genome-wide analysis of SoDof genes, their gender- and tissue-specific expression, and response to abiotic stresses. The knowledge and resources gained from these analyses will benefit spinach improvement.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roy Njoroge Kimotho ◽  
Elamin Hafiz Baillo ◽  
Zhengbin Zhang

Background: Maize (Zea mays L.) is a principal cereal crop cultivated worldwide for human food, animal feed, and more recently as a source of biofuel. However, as a direct consequence of water insufficiency and climate change, frequent occurrences of both biotic and abiotic stresses have been reported in different regions around the world, and recently, this has become a major threat in increasing global maize yields. Plants respond to abiotic stresses by utilizing the activity of transcription factors, which are families of genes coding for specific transcription factor proteins whose target genes form a regulon which is involved in the repression/ activation of genes associated with abiotic stress responses. Therefore, it is of uttermost importance to have a systematic study on each family of the transcription factors, the downstream target genes they regulate, and the specific transcription factor genes which are involved in multiple abiotic stress responses in maize and other main crops. Method: In this review, the main transcription factor families, the specific transcription factor genes and their regulons which are involved in abiotic stress regulation will be momentarily discussed. Great emphasis will be given on maize abiotic stress improvement throughout this review, although other examples from other plants like rice, Arabidopsis, wheat, and barley will be used. Results: We have described in detail the main transcription factor families in maize which take part in abiotic stress responses together with their regulons. Furthermore, we have also briefly described the utilization of high-efficiency technologies in the study and characterization of TFs involved in the abiotic stress regulatory networks in plants with an emphasis on increasing maize production. Examples of these technologies include next-generation sequencing, microarray analysis, machine learning and RNA-Seq technology. Conclusion: In conclusion, it is hoped that all the information provided in this review may in time contribute to the use of TF genes in the research, breeding, and development of new abiotic stress tolerant maize cultivars.


Author(s):  
Roy Njoroge Kimotho ◽  
Elamin Hafiz Baillo ◽  
Zhengbin Zhang

Background: Maize (Zea mays L.) is a principal cereal crop cultivated worldwide for human food, animal feed, and more recently as a source of biofuel. However, as a direct consequence of water insufficiency and climate change, frequent occurrences of both biotic and abiotic stresses have been reported in different regions around the world, and recently, this has become a major threat in increasing global maize yields. Plants respond to abiotic stresses by utilizing the activity of transcription factors, which are families of genes coding for specific transcription factor proteins whose target genes form a regulon which is involved in the repression/ activation of genes associated with abiotic stress responses. Therefore, it is of uttermost importance to have a systematic study on each family of the transcription factors, the downstream target genes they regulate, and the specific transcription factor genes which are involved in multiple abiotic stress responses in maize and other main crops. Method: In this review, the main transcription factor families, the specific transcription factor genes and their regulons which are involved in abiotic stress regulation will be momentarily discussed. Great emphasis will be given on maize abiotic stress improvement throughout this review, although other examples from other plants like rice, Arabidopsis, wheat, and barley will be used. Results: We have described in detail the main transcription factor families in maize which take part in abiotic stress responses together with their regulons. Furthermore, we have also briefly described the utilization of high-efficiency technologies in the study and characterization of TFs involved in the abiotic stress regulatory networks in plants with an emphasis on increasing maize production. Examples of these technologies include next-generation sequencing, microarray analysis, machine learning and RNA-Seq technology. Conclusion: In conclusion, it is hoped that all the information provided in this review may in time contribute to the use of TF genes in the research, breeding, and development of new abiotic stress tolerant maize cultivars.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingjia Tang ◽  
Liang Xu ◽  
Yan Wang ◽  
Wanwan Cheng ◽  
Xiaobo Luo ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Abiotic stresses due to climate change pose a great threat to crop production. Heat shock transcription factors (HSFs) are vital regulators that play key roles in protecting plants against various abiotic stresses. Therefore, the identification and characterization of HSFs is imperative to dissect the mechanism responsible for plant stress responses. Although the HSF gene family has been extensively studied in several plant species, its characterization, evolutionary history and expression patterns in the radish (Raphanus sativus L.) remain limited. Results In this study, 33 RsHSF genes were obtained from the radish genome, which were classified into three main groups and 12 subgroups based on HSF protein domain structure. Chromosomal localization analysis revealed that 28 of 33 RsHSF genes were located on nine chromosomes, and 10 duplicated RsHSF genes were grouped into eight gene pairs by whole genome duplication (WGD). Moreover, there were 23 or 9 pairs of orthologous HSFs were identified between radish and Arabidopsis or rice, respectively. Comparative analysis revealed a close relationship among radish, Chinese cabbage and Arabidopsis. RNA-seq data showed that eight RsHSF genes, including RsHSF-03, were highly expressed in the leaf, root, cortex, cambium and xylem, results that these genes might be involved in plant growth and development. Further, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) indicated that the expression patterns of 12 RsHSF genes varied upon exposure to different abiotic stresses, including heat, salt, and heavy metals. This data indicated that the RsHSFs may be involved in abiotic stress response. Conclusions These results could provide fundamental insights into the characteristics and evolution of the HSF family and facilitate further dissection of the molecular mechanism responsible for radish abiotic stress responses.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (20) ◽  
pp. 5048 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuzhen Li ◽  
Li Miao ◽  
Bin Huang ◽  
Lihong Gao ◽  
Chaoxing He ◽  
...  

BASIC PENTACYSTEINE (BPC) is a small transcription factor family that functions in diverse growth and development processes in plants. However, the roles of BPCs in plants, especially cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), in response to abiotic stress and exogenous phytohormones are still unclear. Here, we identified four BPC genes in the cucumber genome, and classified them into two groups according to phylogenetic analysis. We also investigated the gene structures and detected five conserved motifs in these CsBPCs. Tissue expression pattern analysis revealed that the four CsBPCs were expressed ubiquitously in both vegetative and reproductive organs. Additionally, the transcriptional levels of the four CsBPCs were induced by various abiotic stress and hormone treatments. Overexpression of CsBPC2 in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) inhibited seed germination under saline, polyethylene glycol, and abscisic acid (ABA) conditions. The results suggest that the CsBPC genes may play crucial roles in cucumber growth and development, as well as responses to abiotic stresses and plant hormones. CsBPC2 overexpression in tobacco negatively affected seed germination under hyperosmotic conditions. Additionally, CsBPC2 functioned in ABA-inhibited seed germination and hypersensitivity to ABA-mediated responses. Our results provide fundamental information for further research on the biological functions of BPCs in development and abiotic stress responses in cucumber and other plant species.


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