scholarly journals Systematic Analysis of the DNA Methylase and Demethylase Gene Families in Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) and Their Expression Variations After Salt and Heat stresses

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 953 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shihang Fan ◽  
Hongfang Liu ◽  
Jing Liu ◽  
Wei Hua ◽  
Shouming Xu ◽  
...  

DNA methylation is a process through which methyl groups are added to the DNA molecule, thereby modifying the activity of a DNA segment without changing the sequence. Increasing evidence has shown that DNA methylation is involved in various aspects of plant growth and development via a number of key processes including genomic imprinting and repression of transposable elements. DNA methylase and demethylase are two crucial enzymes that play significant roles in dynamically maintaining genome DNA methylation status in plants. In this work, 22 DNA methylase genes and six DNA demethylase genes were identified in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) genome. These DNA methylase and DNA demethylase genes can be classified into four (BnaCMTs, BnaMET1s, BnaDRMs and BnaDNMT2s) and three (BnaDMEs, BnaDML3s and BnaROS1s) subfamilies, respectively. Further analysis of gene structure and conserved domains showed that each sub-class is highly conserved between rapeseed and Arabidopsis. Expression analysis conducted by RNA-seq as well as qRT-PCR suggested that these DNA methylation/demethylation-related genes may be involved in the heat/salt stress responses in rapeseed. Taken together, our findings may provide valuable information for future functional characterization of these two types of epigenetic regulatory enzymes in polyploid species such as rapeseed, as well as for analyzing their evolutionary relationships within the plant kingdom.

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 178
Author(s):  
Ana L. Villagómez-Aranda ◽  
Luis F. García-Ortega ◽  
Irineo Torres-Pacheco ◽  
Ramón G. Guevara-González

Epigenetic regulation is a key component of stress responses, acclimatization and adaptation processes in plants. DNA methylation is a stable mark plausible for the inheritance of epigenetic traits, such that it is a potential scheme for plant breeding. However, the effect of modulators of stress responses, as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), in the methylome status has not been elucidated. A transgenic tobacco model to the CchGLP gene displayed high H2O2 endogen levels correlated with biotic and abiotic stresses resistance. The present study aimed to determine the DNA methylation status changes in the transgenic model to obtain more information about the molecular mechanism involved in resistance phenotypes. The Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing analysis revealed a minimal impact of overall levels and distribution of methylation. A total of 9432 differential methylated sites were identified in distinct genome regions, most of them in CHG context, with a trend to hypomethylation. Of these, 1117 sites corresponded to genes, from which 83 were also differentially expressed in the plants. Several genes were associated with respiration, energy, and calcium signaling. The data obtained highlighted the relevance of the H2O2 in the homeostasis of the system in stress conditions, affecting at methylation level and suggesting an association of the H2O2 in the physiological adaptation to stress functional linkages may be regulated in part by DNA methylation.


Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Houqing Zeng ◽  
Bingqian Zhao ◽  
Haicheng Wu ◽  
Yiyong Zhu ◽  
Huatao Chen

Calcium (Ca2+) plays a critical role in the regulation of growth and development and environmental stress responses in plants. The membrane-associated Ca2+ transport proteins are required to mediate Ca2+ signaling and maintain Ca2+ homeostasis. Ca2+ channels, pumps (ATPases), and antiporters are three major classes of Ca2+ transporters. Although the genome-wide analysis of Ca2+ transporters in model plants Arabidopsis and rice have been well documented, the identification, classification, phylogenesis, expression profiles, and physiological functions of Ca2+ transport proteins in soybean are largely unknown. In this study, a comprehensive in silico analysis of gene families associated with Ca2+ transport was conducted, and a total of 207 putative Ca2+ transporter genes have been identified in soybean. These genes belong to nine different families, such as Ca2+-ATPase, Ca2+/cation antiporter, cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channel (CNGC), and hyperosmolality induced cytosolic Ca2+ concentration channel (OSCA). Detailed analysis of these identified genes was performed, including their classification, phylogenesis, protein domains, chromosomal distribution, and gene duplication. Expression profiling of these genes was conducted in different tissues and developmental stages, as well as under stresses using publicly available RNA-seq data. Some genes were found to be predominantly expressed in specific tissues like flowers and nodules, and some genes were found to be expressed strongly during seed development. Seventy-four genes were found to be significantly and differentially expressed under abiotic and biotic stresses, such as salt, phosphorus deficiency, and fungal pathogen inoculation. In addition, hormonal signaling- and stress response-related cis-elements and potential microRNA target sites were analyzed. This study suggests the potential roles of soybean Ca2+ transporters in stress responses and growth regulation, and provides a basis for further functional characterization of putative Ca2+ transporters in soybean.


2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 435-444
Author(s):  
Imen GLAIED GHRAM ◽  
Hatem BELGUITH ◽  
Maha BEN MUSTAPHA ◽  
Issam HIMILA ◽  
Balkiss BOUHAOUALA ◽  
...  

Lipases catalyze the hydrolysis of ester bonds in triacylglycerides, generating glycerol and free fatty acids. These enzymes are encoded by extremely complex gene families, and appear to fulfil many different biological functions. Although they are present in all types of organisms, available information on plant lipases is still very limited, as compared to their bacterial and animal counterparts. A full-length clone, BnLIP, encoding a putative lipase, has been isolated by PCR amplification of Brassica napus genomic DNA, with oligonucleotide primers derived from the sequence of an Arabidopsis thaliana homologue. The clone included an open reading frame of 1581 bp encoding a polypeptide of 526 amino acids, with a calculated molecular mass of 59.5 kDa. Analysis of the deduced protein sequence, sequence alignment with homologous proteins from related plant species, and a phylogenetic analysis revealed that the BnLIP protein belongs to the ‘classical’ GxSxG-motif lipase family. RT-PCR assays indicated that the BnLIP gene is expressed specifically, but only transiently, during seed germination: the lipase mRNA was not present at detectable levels in ungerminated seeds, was detected only three days after seed imbibition, but its levels decreased rapidly afterwards. No expression was observed in roots, stems or leaves of adult plants. This expression pattern suggests that BnLIP is one of the lipases involved in the hydrolysis of triacylglycerides stored in rapeseed seeds, ultimately providing nutrients and energy to sustain seedling growth until photosynthesis is activated.


Genome ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 118-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Gruber ◽  
Limin Wu ◽  
Matthew Links ◽  
Branimir Gjetvaj ◽  
Jonathan Durkin ◽  
...  

The molecular basis of canola ( Brassica napus L.) susceptibility to the crucifer flea beetle (FB, Phyllotreta cruciferae Goeze) was investigated by comparing transcript representation in FB-damaged and undamaged cotyledons. The B. napus cotyledon transcriptome increased and diversified substantially after FB feeding damage. Twenty-two genes encoding proteins with unknown function, six encoding proteins involved in signaling, and a gene encoding a B-box zinc finger transcription factor were moderately or strongly changed in representation with FB feeding damage. Zinc finger and calcium-dependent genes formed the largest portion of transcription factors and signaling factors with changes in representation. Six genes with unknown function, one transcription factor, and one signaling gene specific to the FB-damaged library were co-represented in a FB-damaged leaf library. Out of 188 transcription factor and signaling gene families screened for “early” expression changes, 16 showed changes in expression within 8 h. Four of these early factors were zinc finger genes with representation only in the FB-damaged cotyledon. These genes are now available to test their potential at initiating or specifying cotyledon responses to crucifer FB feeding.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rehman Sarwar ◽  
Ting Jiang ◽  
Peng Ding ◽  
Yue Gao ◽  
Xiaoli Tan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Brassica napus is an essential crop for oil and livestock feed. Eventually, this crop's economic interest is at the most risk due to anthropogenic climate change. DELLA proteins constitute a significant repressor of plant growth to facilitate survival under constant stress conditions. DELLA proteins lack DNA binding domain but can interact with various transcription factors or transcription regulators of different hormonal families. Significant progress has been made on Arabidopsis and cereal plants. However, no comprehensive study regarding DELLA proteins has been delineated in rapeseed. Results In our study, we have identified 10 BnaDELLA genes. All of the BnaDELLA genes are closely related to five AtDELLA genes, suggesting a relative function and structure. Gene duplication and synteny relationship among Brassica. napus, Arabidopsis. thaliana, Brassica rapa, Brassica oleracea, and Brassica nigra genomes were also predicted to provide valuable insights into the BnaDELLA gene family evolutionary characteristics. Chromosomal mapping revealed the uneven distribution of BnaDELLA genes on eight chromosomes, and site-specific selection assessment proposes BnaDELLA genes purifying selection. The motifs composition in all BnaDELLA genes is inconsistent; however, every BnaDELLA gene contains 12 highly conserved motifs, encoding DELLA and GRAS domains. The two known miRNAs (bna-miR6029 and bna-miR603) targets BnaC07RGA and BnaA09GAI, were also predicted. Furthermore, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis has exhibited the BnaDELLA genes diverse expression patterns in the root, mature-silique, leaf, flower, flower-bud, stem, shoot-apex, and seed. Additionally, cis-acting element prediction shows that all BnaDELLA genes contain light, stress, and hormone-responsive elements on their promoters. The gene ontology (GO) enrichment report indicated that the BnaDELLA gene family might regulate stress responses. Combine with transcriptomic data used in this study, we detected the distinct expression patterns of BnaDELLA genes under biotic and abiotic stresses. Conclusion In this study, we investigate evolution feature, genomic structure, miRNAs targets, and expression pattern of the BnaDELLA gene family in B. napus, which enrich our understanding of BnaDELLA genes in B. napus and suggests modulating individual BnaDELLA expression is a promising way to intensify rapeseed stress tolerance and harvest index.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 4671
Author(s):  
Yunyou Nan ◽  
Yuyu Xie ◽  
Ayub Atif ◽  
Xiaojun Wang ◽  
Yanfeng Zhang ◽  
...  

Slow type anion channels (SLAC/SLAHs) play important roles during anion transport, growth and development, abiotic stress responses and hormone responses in plants. However, there is few report on SLAC/SLAHs in rapeseed (Brassica napus). Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of SLAC/SLAH gene family members were performed in B. napus. A total of 23 SLAC/SLAH genes were identified in B. napus. Based on the structural characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of these members, the SLAC/SLAHs could be classified into three main groups. Transcriptome data demonstrated that BnSLAH3 genes were detected in various tissues of the rapeseed and could be up-regulated by low nitrate treatment in roots. BnSLAC/SLAHs were exclusively localized on the plasma membrane in transient expression of tobacco leaves. These results will increase our understanding of the evolution and expression of the SLAC/SLAHs and provide evidence for further research of biological functions of candidates in B. napus.


Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Santangeli ◽  
Concetta Capo ◽  
Simone Beninati ◽  
Fabrizio Pietrini ◽  
Cinzia Forni

Soil salinity is considered one of the most severe abiotic stresses in plants; plant acclimation to salinity could be a tool to improve salt tolerance even in a sensitive genotype. In this work we investigated the physiological mechanisms underneath the response to gradual and prolonged exposure to sodium chloride in cultivars of Brassica napus L. Fifteen days old seedlings of the cultivars Dynastie (salt tolerant) and SY Saveo (salt sensitive) were progressively exposed to increasing soil salinity conditions for 60 days. Salt exposed plants of both cultivars showed reductions of biomass, size and number of leaves. However, after 60 days the relative reduction in biomass was lower in sensitive cultivar as compared to tolerant ones. An increase of chlorophylls content was detected in both cultivars; the values of the quantum efficiency of PSII photochemistry (ΦPSII) and those of the electron transport rate (ETR) indicated that the photochemical activity was only partially reduced by NaCl treatments in both cultivars. Ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity was higher in treated samples with respect to the controls, indicating its activation following salt exposure, and confirming its involvement in salt stress response. A gradual exposure to salt could elicit different salt stress responses, thus preserving plant vitality and conferring a certain degree of tolerance, even though the genotype was salt sensitive at the seed germination stage. An improvement of salt tolerance in B. napus could be obtained by acclimation to saline conditions.


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.


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