Project description:PIN-formed (PIN) proteins-specific transcription factors that are widely distributed in plants-play a pivotal role in regulating polar auxin transport, thus influencing plant growth, development, and abiotic stress responses. Although the identification and functional validation of PIN genes have been extensively explored in various plant species, their understanding in woody plants-particularly the endangered species Phoebe bournei (Hemsl.) Yang-remains limited. P. bournei is an economically significant tree species that is endemic to southern China. For this study, we employed bioinformatics approaches to screen and identify 13 members of the PIN gene family in P. bournei. Through a phylogenetic analysis, we classified these genes into five sub-families: A, B, C, D, and E. Furthermore, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the physicochemical properties, three-dimensional structures, conserved motifs, and gene structures of the PbPIN proteins. Our results demonstrate that all PbPIN genes consist of exons and introns, albeit with variations in their number and length, highlighting the conservation and evolutionary changes in PbPIN genes. The results of our collinearity analysis indicate that the expansion of the PbPIN gene family primarily occurred through segmental duplication. Additionally, by predicting cis-acting elements in their promoters, we inferred the potential involvement of PbPIN genes in plant hormone and abiotic stress responses. To investigate their expression patterns, we conducted a comprehensive expression profiling of PbPIN genes in different tissues. Notably, we observed differential expression levels of PbPINs across the various tissues. Moreover, we examined the expression profiles of five representative PbPIN genes under abiotic stress conditions, including heat, cold, salt, and drought stress. These experiments preliminarily verified their responsiveness and functional roles in mediating responses to abiotic stress. In summary, this study systematically analyzes the expression patterns of PIN genes and their response to abiotic stresses in P. bournei using whole-genome data. Our findings provide novel insights and valuable information for stress tolerance regulation in P. bournei. Moreover, the study offers significant contributions towards unraveling the functional characteristics of the PIN gene family.
Project description:The BRI1 EMS suppressor 1(BES1) transcription factor is a crucial regulator in the signaling pathway of Brassinosteroid (BR) and plays an important role in plant growth and response to abiotic stress. Although the identification and functional validation of BES1 genes have been extensively explored in various plant species, the understanding of their role in woody plants-particularly the endangered species Phoebe bournei (Hemsl.) Yang-remains limited. In this study, we identified nine members of the BES1 gene family in the genome of P. bournei; these nine members were unevenly distributed across four chromosomes. In our further evolutionary analysis of PbBES1, we discovered that PbBES1 can be divided into three subfamilies (Class I, Class II, and Class IV) based on the evolutionary tree constructed with Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa, and Solanum lycopersicum. Each subfamily contains 2-5 PbBES1 genes. There were nine pairs of homologous BES1 genes in the synteny analysis of PbBES1 and AtBES1. Three segmental replication events and one pair of tandem duplication events were present among the PbBES1 family members. Additionally, we conducted promoter cis-acting element analysis and discovered that PbBES1 contains binding sites for plant growth and development, cell cycle regulation, and response to abiotic stress. PbBES1.2 is highly expressed in root bark, stem bark, root xylem, and stem xylem. PbBES1.3 was expressed in five tissues. Moreover, we examined the expression profiles of five representative PbBES1 genes under heat and drought stress. These experiments preliminarily verified their responsiveness and functional roles in mediating responses to abiotic stress. This study provides important clues to elucidate the functional characteristics of the BES1 gene family, and at the same time provides new insights and valuable information for the regulation of resistance in P. bournei.
Project description:GATA transcription factors are crucial proteins in regulating transcription and are characterized by a type-IV zinc finger DNA-binding domain. They play a significant role in the growth and development of plants. While the GATA family gene has been identified in several plant species, it has not yet been reported in Phoebe bournei. In this study, 22 GATA family genes were identified from the P. bournei genome, and their physicochemical properties, chromosomal distribution, subcellular localization, phylogenetic tree, conserved motif, gene structure, cis-regulatory elements in promoters, and expression in plant tissues were analyzed. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the PbGATAs were clearly divided into four subfamilies. They are unequally distributed across 11 out of 12 chromosomes, except chromosome 9. Promoter cis-elements are mostly involved in environmental stress and hormonal regulation. Further studies showed that PbGATA11 was localized to chloroplasts and expressed in five tissues, including the root bark, root xylem, stem bark, stem xylem, and leaf, which means that PbGATA11 may have a potential role in the regulation of chlorophyll synthesis. Finally, the expression profiles of four representative genes, PbGATA5, PbGATA12, PbGATA16, and PbGATA22, under drought, salinity, and temperature stress, were detected by qRT-PCR. The results showed that PbGATA5, PbGATA22, and PbGATA16 were significantly expressed under drought stress. PbGATA12 and PbGATA22 were significantly expressed after 8 h of low-temperature stress at 10 °C. This study concludes that the growth and development of the PbGATA family gene in P. bournei in coping with adversity stress are crucial. This study provides new ideas for studying the evolution of GATAs, provides useful information for future functional analysis of PbGATA genes, and helps better understand the abiotic stress response of P. bournei.
Project description:BackgroundThe WRKY gene family plays a significant role in plant growth, development, and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, the role of the WRKY gene family has not been reported in Amaranthus hypochondriacus. This study presents a comprehensive genome-wide analysis of the WRKY gene family in grain amaranth (A. hypochondriacus L.), a resilient crop known for its high nutritional value and adaptability to challenging environments.ResultsIn this study, 55 WRKY genes (AhyWRKY1-55) were identified in A. hypochondriacus and distributed unevenly across 16 scaffolds. Of these, 50 contained conserved WRKY domains and were classified into three main groups. Group II was further divided into five subgroups (IIa-IIe) based on phylogenetic analysis, with each clade being well supported by conserved motifs. Additionally, the gene structure analysis revealed variations in exon-intron organization. In contrast, motif analysis showed the presence of conserved domains that were similar within the group but differed between groups, suggesting their functional diversity. Cis-acting elements related to plant growth and development and light, hormones, and stress responses were identified. Synteny analysis revealed that 34 (61.8%) of the genes originated from tandem duplication, indicating the role of tandem duplication in the expansion of the A. hypochondriacus WRKY gene family. Protein-protein interaction analysis suggested that AhyWRKY3, AhyWRKY27, AhyWRKY28, AhyWRKY36, and AhyWRKY52 were hub genes involved in the complex protein interaction network. Using in silico and real-time quantitative PCR, expression analysis revealed tissue- and condition-specific expression patterns of AhyWRKY genes. Notably, under drought stress, AhyWRKY39, AhyWRKY40, AhyWRKY54, and AhyWRKY01 showed increased expression, while under salt stress, AhyWRKY40, AhyWRKY54, AhyWRKY39, AhyWRKY49, and AhyWRKY8 were upregulated at 30 days, suggesting that these genes may play key role in response to salinity stress.ConclusionsThe present study provides valuable insights into the organization and evolutionary patterns of the WRKY gene family in amaranth. It also identifies putative candidate WRKY genes that may play a role in conferring drought and salt tolerance. Overall, this study lays a foundation for further functional validation of these WRKY candidate genes, facilitating their exploitation in the amaranth genetic improvement programs to develop stress-resilient varieties.
Project description:GRAS genes are important transcriptional regulators in plants that govern plant growth and development through enhancing plant hormones, biosynthesis, and signaling pathways. Drought and other abiotic factors may influence the defenses and growth of Phoebe bournei, which is a superb timber source for the construction industry and building exquisite furniture. Although genome-wide identification of the GRAS gene family has been completed in many species, that of most woody plants, particularly P. bournei, has not yet begun. We performed a genome-wide investigation of 56 PbGRAS genes, which are unequally distributed across 12 chromosomes. They are divided into nine subclades. Furthermore, these 56 PbGRAS genes have a substantial number of components related to abiotic stress responses or phytohormone transmission. Analysis using qRT-PCR showed that the expression of four PbGRAS genes, namely PbGRAS7, PbGRAS10, PbGRAS14 and PbGRAS16, was differentially increased in response to drought, salt and temperature stresses, respectively. We hypothesize that they may help P. bournei to successfully resist harsh environmental disturbances. In this work, we conducted a comprehensive survey of the GRAS gene family in P. bournei plants, and the results provide an extensive and preliminary resource for further clarification of the molecular mechanisms of the GRAS gene family in P. bournei in response to abiotic stresses and forestry improvement.
Project description:Phoebe bournei (Hemsl.) Yang is used as a commercial wood in China and is enlisted as a near-threatened species. Prolonged droughts pose a serious threat to young seedlings (1-2 years old). A transcriptome sequencing approach, together with the measurement of growth parameters and biochemical analyses were used to understand P. bournei's drought responses on 15d, 30d, and 45d of drought stress treatment. The stem and root dry weights decreased significantly with drought stress duration. Activities of antioxidative enzymes i.e., peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) increased significantly with the increase in drought stress duration. A total of 13,274, 15,648, and 9,949 genes were differentially expressed in CKvs15d, CKvs30d, and CKvs45d, respectively. The differential expression analyses showed that photosystem I and II underwent structural changes, chlorophyll biosynthesis, and photosynthesis were reduced. The genes annotated as POD, SOD, and CAT were upregulated in drought-treated leaves as compared to control. Additionally, plant-hormone signal transduction, MAPK signaling-plant, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis, and starch and sucrose metabolism pathways showed large-scale expression changes in major genes. We also found that members of 25 transcription factor families were differentially expressed. Our study presents and discusses these transcriptome signatures. Overall, our findings represent key data for breeding towards drought stress tolerance in P. bournei.
Project description:The calmodulin-binding transcriptional activator (CAMTA) is a small, conserved gene family in plants that plays a crucial role in regulating growth, development, and responses to various abiotic stress. Given the significance of the CAMTA gene family, various studies have been dedicated to uncovering its functional characteristics. In this study, genome-wide identification and bioinformatics analysis were conducted to explore CAMTAs in Phoebe bournei. A total of 17 CAMTA genes, each containing at least one domain from CG-1, TIG, ANK, or IQ, were identified in the P. bournei genome. The diversity of PbCAMTAs could be varied depending on their subcellular localization. An analysis of protein motifs, domains, and gene structure revealed that members within the same subgroup exhibited similar organization, supporting the results of the phylogenetic analysis. Gene duplications occurred among members of the PbCAMTA gene family. According to the cis-regulatory element prediction and protein-protein interaction network analysis, eight genes were subjected to qRT-PCR under drought, heat, and light stresses. The expression profiles indicated that PbCAMTAs, particularly PbCAMTA2, PbCAMTA12, and PbCAMTA16, were induced by abiotic stress. This study provides profound insights into the functions of CAMTAs in P. bournei.
Project description:WRKY transcription factors play crucial roles in regulation mechanism leading to the adaption of plants to the complex environment. In this study, AhWRKY family was comprehensively analyzed using bioinformatic approaches in combination with transcriptome sequencing data of the drought-tolerant peanut variety 'L422'. A total of 158 AhWRKY genes were identified and named according to their distribution on the chromosomes. Based on the structural features and phylogenetic analysis of AhWRKY proteins, the AhWRKY family members were classified into three (3) groups, of which group II included five (5) subgroups. Results of structure and conserved motifs analysis for the AhWRKY genes confirmed the accuracy of the clustering analysis. In addition, 12 tandem and 136 segmental duplication genes were identified. The results indicated that segmental duplication events were the main driving force in the evolution of AhWRKY family. Collinearity analysis found that 32 gene pairs existed between Arachis hypogaea and two diploid wild ancestors (Arachis duranensis and Arachis ipaensis), which provided valuable clues for phylogenetic characteristics of AhWRKY family. Furthermore, 19 stress-related cis-acting elements were found in the promoter regions. During the study of gene expression level of AhWRKY family members in response to drought stress, 73 differentially expressed AhWRKY genes were obtained to have been influenced by drought stress. These results provide fundamental insights for further study of WRKY genes in peanut drought resistance.