Genome-Wide Comprehensive Analysis of the GASA Gene Family in Populus

Gibberellic acid-stimulated Arabidopsis (GASA) proteins, as cysteine-rich peptides (CRPs), play roles in development and reproduction and biotic and abiotic stresses. Although the GASA gene family has been identified in plants, the knowledge about GASAs in Populus euphratica, the woody model plant for studying abiotic stress, remains limited. Here, we referenced the well-sequenced Populus trichocarpa genome, and identified the GASAs in the whole genome of P. euphratica and P. trichocarpa. 21 candidate genes in P. trichocarpa and 19 candidate genes in P. euphratica were identified and categorized into three subfamilies by phylogenetic analysis. Most GASAs with signal peptides were located extracellularly. The GASA genes in Populus have experienced multiple gene duplication events, especially in the subfamily A. The evolution of the subfamily A, with the largest number of members, can be attributed to whole-genome duplication (WGD) and tandem duplication (TD). Collinearity analysis showed that WGD genes played a leading role in the evolution of GASA genes subfamily B. The expression patterns of P. trichocarpa and P. euphratica were investigated using the PlantGenIE database and the real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR), respectively. GASA genes in P. trichocarpa and P. euphratica were mainly expressed in young tissues and organs, and almost rarely expressed in mature leaves. GASA genes in P. euphratica leaves were also widely involved in hormone responses and drought stress responses. GUS activity assay showed that PeuGASA15 was widely present in various organs of the plant, especially in vascular bundles, and was induced by auxin and inhibited by mannitol dramatically. In summary, this present study provides a theoretical foundation for further research on the function of GASA genes in P. euphratica.

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Identification and Characterization of the APX Gene Family and Its Expression Pattern under Phytohormone Treatment and Abiotic Stress in Populus trichocarpa

Genes ◽

10.3390/genes12030334 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 334

Author(s):

Xue Leng ◽

Hanzeng Wang ◽

Shuang Zhang ◽

Chunpu Qu ◽

Chuanping Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Abiotic Stress ◽

Gene Family ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Expression Profiles ◽

Populus Trichocarpa ◽

Ammonium Concentration ◽

Cis Elements ◽

Specific Expression ◽

Real Time Quantitative Pcr ◽

Gene Structures

Ascorbate peroxidase (APX) is a member of class I of the heme-containing peroxidase family. The enzyme plays important roles in scavenging reactive oxygen species for protection against oxidative damage and maintaining normal plant growth and development, as well as in biotic stress responses. In this study, we identified 11 APX genes in the Populus trichocarpa genome using bioinformatic methods. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the PtrAPX proteins were classifiable into three clades and the members of each clade shared similar gene structures and motifs. The PtrAPX genes were distributed on six chromosomes and four segmental-duplicated gene pairs were identified. Promoter cis-elements analysis showed that the majority of PtrAPX genes contained a variety of phytohormone- and abiotic stress-related cis-elements. Tissue-specific expression profiles indicated that the PtrAPX genes primarily function in roots and leaves. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis indicated that PtrAPX transcription was induced in response to drought, salinity, high ammonium concentration, and exogenous abscisic acid treatment. These results provide important information on the phylogenetic relationships and functions of the APX gene family in P. trichocarpa.

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Genome-wide investigation and expression profiling of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) family genes uncover likely functions in organ development and stress responses in Populus trichocarpa

BMC Genomics ◽

10.1186/s12864-021-08028-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Fang He ◽

Yu-Jie Shi ◽

Qian Zhao ◽

Kuang-Ji Zhao ◽

Xing-Lei Cui ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Polyphenol Oxidase ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Populus Trichocarpa ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Mechanical Damage ◽

Whole Genome Sequence ◽

Whole Genome ◽

Element Analysis ◽

Genome Wide ◽

A Genome

Abstract Background Trees such as Populus are planted extensively for reforestation and afforestation. However, their successful establishment greatly depends upon ambient environmental conditions and their relative resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses. Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) is a ubiquitous metalloproteinase in plants, which plays crucial roles in mediating plant resistance against biotic and abiotic stresses. Although the whole genome sequence of Populus trichocarpa has long been published, little is known about the PPO genes in Populus, especially those related to drought stress, mechanical damage, and insect feeding. Additionally, there is a paucity of information regarding hormonal responses at the whole genome level. Results A genome-wide analysis of the poplar PPO family was performed in the present study, and 18 PtrPPO genes were identified. Bioinformatics and qRT-PCR were then used to analyze the gene structure, phylogeny, chromosomal localization, gene replication, cis-elements, and expression patterns of PtrPPOs. Sequence analysis revealed that two-thirds of the PtrPPO genes lacked intronic sequences. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all PPO genes were categorized into 11 groups, and woody plants harbored many PPO genes. Eighteen PtrPPO genes were disproportionally localized on 19 chromosomes, and 3 pairs of segmented replication genes and 4 tandem repeat genomes were detected in poplars. Cis-acting element analysis identified numerous growth and developmental elements, secondary metabolism processes, and stress-related elements in the promoters of different PPO members. Furthermore, PtrPPO genes were expressed preferentially in the tissues and fruits of young plants. In addition, the expression of some PtrPPOs could be significantly induced by polyethylene glycol, abscisic acid, and methyl jasmonate, thereby revealing their potential role in regulating the stress response. Currently, we identified potential upstream TFs of PtrPPOs using bioinformatics. Conclusions Comprehensive analysis is helpful for selecting candidate PPO genes for follow-up studies on biological function, and progress in understanding the molecular genetic basis of stress resistance in forest trees might lead to the development of genetic resources.

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Genome-wide investigation and expression profiling of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) family genes uncover likely functions in organ development and stress responses in populus trichocarpa

10.21203/rs.3.rs-285546/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Fang He ◽

Yu-Jie Shi ◽

Qian Zhao ◽

Kuang-Ji Zhao ◽

Xing-Lei Cui ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Polyphenol Oxidase ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Populus Trichocarpa ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Whole Genome Sequence ◽

Whole Genome ◽

Genetic Progress ◽

Element Analysis ◽

Genome Wide ◽

A Genome

Abstract Background: Trees such as Populus are planted extensively for reforestation and afforestation. However, their successful establishment greatly depends upon ambient environmental conditions and their relative resistance to abiotic as well as biotic stress. Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) is a ubiquitous metalloproteinase in plants, which plays crucial roles in plant resistance against biotic and abiotic stresses. Although the whole genome sequence of populus trichocarpa has long been published, little is known about the PPO genes in Populus, especially those related to drought stress, mechanical damage, insect feeding and hormone response at the whole genome level. Results: In the recent research, a genome-wide analysis of the Poplar PPOs family was finished and 18 PtrPPOs gene were identified. Then, bioinformatics and qRT-PCR were applied to analyze the gene structure, phylogeny, chromosomal localization, gene replication, Cis-elements, expression patterns of PtrPPOs. Sequence analysis revealed that 2/3 of the PtrPPO genes not contained introns. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all PPOs gene were split into 11 subfamilies, and woody plants differentiated a large number of PPO genes. 18 PtrPPOs gene were disproportionally apportioned on 19 chromosomes, and the number of three pairs of segmented replication genes and four tandem repeat genomes were detected in poplars. Cis-acting element analysis identified a large number elements of growth and development, secondary metabolism process, and stress-related elements on the promoters of different PPO members. Furthermore, PtrPPO genes were expressed preferably in young plant tissues and fruits. In addition, some PtrPPOs could be significantly induced by PEG, ABA and JA, thus revealing their potential role in regulating stress response. Conclusions: Comprehensive analysis is helpful to select candidate PPO genes for the follow-up study of the biological function, and molecular genetic progress of stress resistance in forest trees provides genetic resources.

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

BMC Plant Biology ◽

10.1186/s12870-021-02879-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Kai Zhao ◽

Song Chen ◽

Wenjing Yao ◽

Zihan Cheng ◽

Boru Zhou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Salt Stress ◽

Systems Biology ◽

Gene Family ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Metal Ion ◽

Gene Networks ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Gene Set Enrichment Analysis ◽

Specific Gene ◽

Biological Processes

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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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 of the SUT Gene Family in Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) and Functional Analysis of PgL0145810.1

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms21186608 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (18) ◽

pp. 6608

Author(s):

Krishna Poudel ◽

Xiang Luo ◽

Lina Chen ◽

Dan Jing ◽

Xiaocong Xia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Transgenic Plants ◽

Gene Family ◽

Promoter Region ◽

Lignin Content ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Punica Granatum ◽

Whole Genome ◽

Source To Sink ◽

Relationship Of ◽

Punica Granatum L

Sucrose, an important sugar, is transported from source to sink tissues through the phloem, and plays important role in the development of important traits in plants. However, the SUT gene family is still not well characterized in pomegranate. In this study, we first identified the pomegranate sucrose transporter (SUT) gene family from the whole genome. Then, the phylogenetic relationship of SUT genes, gene structure and their promoters were analyzed. Additionally, their expression patterns were detected during the development of the seed. Lastly, genetic transformation and cytological observation were used to study the function of PgL0145810.1. A total of ten pomegranate SUT genes were identified from the whole genome of pomegranate ‘Tunisia’. The promoter region of all the pomegranate SUT genes contained myeloblastosis (MYB) elements. Four of the SUT genes, PgL0328370.1, PgL0099690.1, PgL0145810.1 and PgL0145770.1, were differentially expressed during seed development. We further noticed that PgL0145810.1 was expressed most prominently in the stem parts in transgenic plants compared to other tissue parts (leaves, flowers and silique). The cells in the xylem vessels were small and lignin content was lower in the transgenic plants as compared to wild Arabidopsis plants. In general, our result suggests that the MYB cis-elements in the promoter region might regulate PgL0145810.1 expression to control the structure of xylem, thereby affecting seed hardness in pomegranate.

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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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Comprehensive Analysis of the TIFY Gene Family and Its Expression Profiles under Phytohormone Treatment and Abiotic Stresses in Roots of Populus trichocarpa

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11030315 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 315

Author(s):

Hanzeng Wang ◽

Xue Leng ◽

Xuemei Xu ◽

Chenghao Li

Keyword(s):

Gene Family ◽

Abiotic Stresses ◽

Expression Profiles ◽

Populus Trichocarpa ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Interaction Network ◽

Pcr Analysis ◽

Phylogenetic Tree Analysis ◽

Element Analysis ◽

Cis Element

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.

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