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Singh S, Koyama H, Bhati KK, Alok A. The biotechnological importance of the plant-specific NAC transcription factor family in crop improvement. JOURNAL OF PLANT RESEARCH 2021; 134:475-495. [PMID: 33616799 PMCID: PMC8106581 DOI: 10.1007/s10265-021-01270-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 02/13/2021] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Climate change, malnutrition, and food insecurity are the inevitable challenges being faced by the agriculture sector today. Plants are susceptible to extreme temperatures during the crucial phases of flowering and seed development, and elevated carbon levels also lead to yield losses. Productivity is also affected by floods and droughts. Therefore, increasing plant yield and stress tolerance are the priorities to be met through novel biotechnological interventions. The contributions of NAC genes towards enhancing plant survivability under stress is well known. Here we focus on the potential of NAC genes in the regulation of abiotic stress tolerance, secondary cell wall synthesis, lateral root development, yield potential, seed size and biomass, ROS signaling, leaf senescence, and programmed cell death. Once naturally tolerant candidate NAC genes have been identified, and the nature of their association with growth and fitness against multi-environmental stresses has been determined, they can be exploited for building inherent tolerance in future crops via transgenic technologies. An update on the latest developments is provided in this review, which summarizes the current understanding of the roles of NAC in the establishment of various stress-adaptive mechanisms in model and food crop plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sadhana Singh
- International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, India.
| | - Hiroyuki Koyama
- Laboratory of Plant Cell Technology, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, 501-1193, Japan
| | - Kaushal K Bhati
- Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Sciences, Catholic University of Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Anshu Alok
- Department of Biotechnology, UIET, Punjab University, Chandigarh, India
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Singh S, Kudapa H, Garg V, Varshney RK. Comprehensive analysis and identification of drought-responsive candidate NAC genes in three semi-arid tropics (SAT) legume crops. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:289. [PMID: 33882825 PMCID: PMC8059324 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07602-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 04/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Chickpea, pigeonpea, and groundnut are the primary legume crops of semi-arid tropics (SAT) and their global productivity is severely affected by drought stress. The plant-specific NAC (NAM - no apical meristem, ATAF - Arabidopsis transcription activation factor, and CUC - cup-shaped cotyledon) transcription factor family is known to be involved in majority of abiotic stresses, especially in the drought stress tolerance mechanism. Despite the knowledge available regarding NAC function, not much information is available on NAC genes in SAT legume crops. Results In this study, genome-wide NAC proteins – 72, 96, and 166 have been identified from the genomes of chickpea, pigeonpea, and groundnut, respectively, and later grouped into 10 clusters in chickpea and pigeonpea, while 12 clusters in groundnut. Phylogeny with well-known stress-responsive NACs in Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa (rice), Medicago truncatula, and Glycine max (soybean) enabled prediction of putative stress-responsive NACs in chickpea (22), pigeonpea (31), and groundnut (33). Transcriptome data revealed putative stress-responsive NACs at various developmental stages that showed differential expression patterns in the different tissues studied. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was performed to validate the expression patterns of selected stress-responsive, Ca_NAC (Cicer arietinum - 14), Cc_NAC (Cajanus cajan - 15), and Ah_NAC (Arachis hypogaea - 14) genes using drought-stressed and well-watered root tissues from two contrasting drought-responsive genotypes of each of the three legumes. Based on expression analysis, Ca_06899, Ca_18090, Ca_22941, Ca_04337, Ca_04069, Ca_04233, Ca_12660, Ca_16379, Ca_16946, and Ca_21186; Cc_26125, Cc_43030, Cc_43785, Cc_43786, Cc_22429, and Cc_22430; Ah_ann1.G1V3KR.2, Ah_ann1.MI72XM.2, Ah_ann1.V0X4SV.1, Ah_ann1.FU1JML.2, and Ah_ann1.8AKD3R.1 were identified as potential drought stress-responsive candidate genes. Conclusion As NAC genes are known to play role in several physiological and biological activities, a more comprehensive study on genome-wide identification and expression analyses of the NAC proteins have been carried out in chickpea, pigeonpea and groundnut. We have identified a total of 21 potential drought-responsive NAC genes in these legumes. These genes displayed correlation between gene expression, transcriptional regulation, and better tolerance against drought. The identified candidate genes, after validation, may serve as a useful resource for molecular breeding for drought tolerance in the SAT legume crops. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-021-07602-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sadhana Singh
- Center of Excellence in Genomics & Systems Biology, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, India
| | - Himabindu Kudapa
- Center of Excellence in Genomics & Systems Biology, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, India.
| | - Vanika Garg
- Center of Excellence in Genomics & Systems Biology, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, India
| | - Rajeev K Varshney
- Center of Excellence in Genomics & Systems Biology, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, India.
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Xu N, Meng L, Song L, Li X, Du S, Hu F, Lv Y, Song W. Identification and Characterization of Secondary Wall-Associated NAC Genes and Their Involvement in Hormonal Responses in Tobacco ( Nicotiana tabacum). FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:712254. [PMID: 34594349 PMCID: PMC8476963 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.712254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Secondary wall-associated NAC (SWN) genes are a subgroup of NAC (NAM, ATAF, and CUC) transcription factors (TF) that play a key role in regulating secondary cell wall biosynthesis in plants. However, this gene family has not been systematically characterized, and their potential roles in response to hormones are unknown in Nicotiana tabacum. In this study, a total of 40 SWN genes, of which 12 from Nicotiana tomentosiformis, 13 from Nicotiana sylvestris, and 15 from Nicotiana tabacum, were successfully identified. The 15 SWNs from Nicotiana tabacum were further classified into three groups, namely, vascular-related NAC domain genes (NtVNDs), NAC secondary wall thickening promoting factor genes (NtNSTs), and secondary wall-associated NAC domain genes (NtSNDs). The protein characteristic, gene structure, and chromosomal location of 15 NtSWNs (also named Nt1 to Nt15) were also analyzed. The NtVND and NtNST group genes had five conserved subdomains in their N-terminal regions and a motif (LP[Q/x] L[E/x] S[P/A]) in their diverged C- terminal regions. Some hormones, dark and low-temperature related cis-acting elements, were significantly enriched in the promoters of NtSWN genes. A comprehensive expression profile analysis revealed that Nt4 and Nt12 might play a role in vein development. Others might be important for stem development. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) revealed that in the NtNST group, genes such as Nt7, Nt8, and Nt13 were more sensitive than the genes in NtVND and NtSND groups under abiotic stress conditions. A transactivation assay further suggested that Nt7, Nt8, and Nt13 showed a significant transactivation activity. Overall, SWN genes were finally identified and characterized in diploid and tetraploid tobacco, revealing new insights into their evolution, variation, and homology relationships. Transcriptome, cis-acting element, qRT-PCR, and transactivation assay analysis indicated the roles in hormonal and stress responses, which provided further resources in molecular mechanism and genetic improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Xu
- Key Laboratory of Tobacco Biology and Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Lin Meng
- Key Laboratory of Tobacco Biology and Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Lin Song
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, College of Marine Science and Biological Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Xiaoxu Li
- Key Laboratory of Tobacco Biology and Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Shasha Du
- Key Laboratory of Tobacco Biology and Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Fengqin Hu
- Excellence and Innovation Center, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Yuanda Lv
- Excellence and Innovation Center, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, China
- *Correspondence: Yuanda Lv
| | - Wenjing Song
- Key Laboratory of Tobacco Biology and Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qingdao, China
- Wenjing Song
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Munir N, Yukun C, Xiaohui C, Nawaz MA, Iftikhar J, Rizwan HM, Xu S, Yuling L, Xuhan X, Zhongxiong L. Genome-wide identification and comprehensive analyses of NAC transcription factor gene family and expression patterns during somatic embryogenesis in Dimocarpus longan Lour. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2020; 157:169-184. [PMID: 33120109 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2020.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The NAM, ATAF1/2, and CUC2 form a huge plant-specific gene family of NAC TFs that are involved in the growth, development, and regulation of biotic and abiotic stress responses. Although the draft genome of longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) has been published, however the comprehensive data regarding the functions, evolution, and expression patterns of the NAC family are still unavailable. In this study, a comprehensive analysis of the NAC transcription factor family in longan was performed, and a total of 114 NAC genes were found. We investigated the NAC gene family exploring the phylogeny, domain conservation, intron/exon, motifs, cis-regulatory elements, protein-protein interaction, and expression profiles of RNA-seq samples in different tissues and early somatic embryogenesis of longan. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the genes with similar gene structure and motif distribution were clustered in the same group. Cis-element identification indicates the possible role of NAC genes in biological and physiological processes. Protein-protein interaction identified the DlNACs homologous with Arabidopsis proteins. We further investigated the expression pattern of DlNAC genes in different tissues (pulp, stem, large fruit, young fruit, and flower) during somatic embryogenesis at embryogenic callus (EC), incomplete compact pro-embryogenic cultures (ICpEC), and globular embryos (GE) stages. The qRT-PCR results showed that the DlNAC genes were expressed higher at EC and GE stage compared with ICpEC stage. In conclusion, our results provide insight into the evolution, diversity, and characterization of NAC genes in the longan and provide a base for understanding their biological roles and molecular mechanisms in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nigarish Munir
- Institute of Horticultural Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Chen Yukun
- Institute of Horticultural Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Chen Xiaohui
- Institute of Horticultural Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Muhammad Azher Nawaz
- Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, 40100, Pakistan
| | - Junaid Iftikhar
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Biology, College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Hafiz Muhammad Rizwan
- Institute of Subtropical Fruit, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Shen Xu
- Institute of Horticultural Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Lin Yuling
- Institute of Horticultural Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Xu Xuhan
- Institute of Horticultural Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China; Institute de la Recherché Interdisciplinary de Toulouse, IRIT-ARI, 31300, Toulouse, France.
| | - Lai Zhongxiong
- Institute of Horticultural Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China.
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Liu C, Wu Y, Liu Y, Yang L, Dong R, Jiang L, Liu P, Liu G, Wang Z, Luo L. Genome-wide analysis of tandem duplicated genes and their contribution to stress resistance in pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan). Genomics 2020; 113:728-735. [PMID: 33053410 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2020.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Revised: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Pigeonpea is the main protein source for more than one billion people, and it shows a strong adaptation to biotic stress and abiotic stress. Gene duplication is a fundamental process in genome evolution. Although the draft sequence of the pigeonpea genome has been available since 2011, further analysis of tandem duplicated genes (TDGs) and their contribution to the evolution of pigeonpea has not been reported. In this study, we identify 3211 TDGs in the pigeonpea genome and KEGG enrichment analysis of these genes shows that the TDGs are significantly enriched in resistance-related pathways. In addition, we find that TDGs are more abundant in retrotransposon-related genes in pigeonpea than in the other species included in our study. These results indicate that stress resistance in pigeonpea may be ascribed to resistance-related pathways and retrotransposons originating from tandem duplications. Our study will provide an important basis for further research in pigeonpea breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun Liu
- College of Forestry & College of Tropical Crops, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; Institute of Tropical Crop Genetic Resources, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China
| | - Yuanhang Wu
- College of Forestry & College of Tropical Crops, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Yunxi Liu
- College of Forestry & College of Tropical Crops, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; Institute of Tropical Crop Genetic Resources, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China
| | - Liyun Yang
- College of Forestry & College of Tropical Crops, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Rongshu Dong
- Institute of Tropical Crop Genetic Resources, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China
| | - Lingyan Jiang
- College of Forestry & College of Tropical Crops, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Pandao Liu
- Institute of Tropical Crop Genetic Resources, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China
| | - Guodao Liu
- Institute of Tropical Crop Genetic Resources, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China.
| | - Zhiyong Wang
- College of Forestry & College of Tropical Crops, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.
| | - Lijuan Luo
- College of Forestry & College of Tropical Crops, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.
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Buch DU, Sharma OA, Pable AA, Barvkar VT. Characterization of microRNA genes from Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.) and understanding their involvement in drought stress. J Biotechnol 2020; 321:23-34. [PMID: 32610182 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2020.06.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Revised: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNA) are non-coding 20-24 nucleotide long RNAs regulating gene expression. In this study, we have characterized and analysed expression of miRNAs in Pigeonpea by using bioinformatics and experimental tools. We identified 116 miRNAs belonging to 32 phylogenetic families. Further, transcription start sites of miRNA genes revealed abundance and unique arrangement of adenine at +1 and thymine at -1 position. Promoter analysis exhibited presence of 19 most prevalent motifs which comprises majorly of TATA box and MYC domains. In total, 252 miRNA-targets were identified and found to be involved in various developmental processes and stress responses. Moreover, genome-wide localization studies demonstrated clustering of cca-miRNA 395 and 169 genes. The tandem and segmental duplication events were observed suggesting miRNA genes have been originated parallelly with protein coding genes. The expression analysis revealed induction of cca-miR169a, 398a and 408 miRNAs under drought stress highlighting their involvement. Conversely, down-regulation of their putative targets (NFYA, SOD, and UCLA, respectively) confirmed regulatory role of miRNAs in their expression emphasising the negative relationship between these miRNAs and targets in Pigeonpea. This study reports vast repertoire of miRNA genes which further can be experimentally characterized to elucidate their functions in various biological processes and can be recommended for Pigeonpea improvement programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Drushtant U Buch
- Department of Botany, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, 411007, India.
| | - Oshin A Sharma
- Department of Botany, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, 411007, India.
| | - Anupama A Pable
- Department of Microbiology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, 411007, India.
| | - Vitthal T Barvkar
- Department of Botany, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, 411007, India.
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Shan Z, Jiang Y, Li H, Guo J, Dong M, Zhang J, Liu G. Genome-wide analysis of the NAC transcription factor family in broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) and expression analysis under drought stress. BMC Genomics 2020; 21:96. [PMID: 32000662 PMCID: PMC6993341 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-020-6479-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2019] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Broomcorn millet is a drought-tolerant cereal that is widely cultivated in the semiarid regions of Asia, Europe, and other continents; however, the mechanisms underlying its drought-tolerance are poorly understood. The NAM, ATAF1/2, and CUC2 (NAC) transcription factors form a large plant-specific gene family that is involved in the regulation of tissue development and abiotic stress. To date, NAC transcription factors have not been systematically researched in broomcorn millet. RESULTS In the present study, a total of 180 NAC (PmNAC) genes were identified from the broomcorn millet genome and named uniformly according to their chromosomal distribution. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the PmNACs clustered into 12 subgroups, including the broomcorn millet-specific subgroup Pm_NAC. Gene structure and protein motif analyses indicated that closely clustered PmNAC genes were relatively conserved within each subgroup, while genome mapping analysis revealed that the PmNAC genes were unevenly distributed on broomcorn millet chromosomes. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the PmNAC genes differed greatly in expression in various tissues and under different drought stress durations. The expression of 10 selected genes under drought stress was analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR. CONCLUSION In this study, 180 NAC genes were identified in broomcorn millet, and their phylogenetic relationships, gene structures, protein motifs, chromosomal distribution, duplication, expression patterns in different tissues, and responses to drought stress were studied. These results will be useful for the further study of the functional characteristics of PmNAC genes, particularly with regards to drought resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongying Shan
- Institute of Millet Crops, Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang, 050035, Hebei, China
- College of Ecology and Garden Architecture, Dezhou University, Dezhou, 253023, China
| | - Yanmiao Jiang
- Institute of Millet Crops, Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang, 050035, Hebei, China
- Key Laboratory of Minor Crops in Hebei, Shijiazhuang, 050035, Hebei, China
| | - Haiquan Li
- Institute of Millet Crops, Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang, 050035, Hebei, China
- Key Laboratory of Minor Crops in Hebei, Shijiazhuang, 050035, Hebei, China
| | - Jinjie Guo
- Institute of Millet Crops, Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang, 050035, Hebei, China
- Key Laboratory of Minor Crops in Hebei, Shijiazhuang, 050035, Hebei, China
| | - Ming Dong
- Institute of Millet Crops, Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang, 050035, Hebei, China
- Key Laboratory of Minor Crops in Hebei, Shijiazhuang, 050035, Hebei, China
| | - Jianan Zhang
- Institute of Millet Crops, Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang, 050035, Hebei, China
- Key Laboratory of Minor Crops in Hebei, Shijiazhuang, 050035, Hebei, China
| | - Guoqing Liu
- Institute of Millet Crops, Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang, 050035, Hebei, China.
- Key Laboratory of Minor Crops in Hebei, Shijiazhuang, 050035, Hebei, China.
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Singh A, Singh PK, Sharma AK, Singh NK, Sonah H, Deshmukh R, Sharma TR. Understanding the Role of the WRKY Gene Family under Stress Conditions in Pigeonpea ( Cajanus Cajan L.). PLANTS 2019; 8:plants8070214. [PMID: 31295921 PMCID: PMC6681228 DOI: 10.3390/plants8070214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2019] [Revised: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 06/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.), a protein-rich legume, is a major food component of the daily diet for residents in semi-arid tropical regions of the word. Pigeonpea is also known for its high level of tolerance against biotic and abiotic stresses. In this regard, understanding the genes involved in stress tolerance has great importance. In the present study, identification, and characterization of WRKY, a large transcription factor gene family involved in numerous biological processes like seed germination, metabolism, plant growth, biotic and abiotic stress responses was performed in pigeonpea. A total of 94 WRKY genes identified in the pigeonpea genome were extensively characterized for gene-structures, localizations, phylogenetic distribution, conserved motif organizations, and functional annotation. Phylogenetic analysis revealed three major groups (I, II, and III) of pigeonpea WRKY genes. Subsequently, expression profiling of 94 CcWRKY genes across different tissues like root, nodule, stem, petiole, petal, sepal, shoot apical meristem (SAM), mature pod, and mature seed retrieved from the available RNAseq data identified tissue-specific WRKY genes with preferential expression in the vegetative and reproductive stages. Gene co-expression networks identified four WRKY genes at the center of maximum interaction which may play a key role in the entire WRKY regulations. Furthermore, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) expression analysis of WRKY genes in root and leaf tissue samples from plants under drought and salinity stress identified differentially expressed WRKY genes. The study will be helpful to understand the evolution, regulation, and distribution of the WRKY gene family, and additional exploration for the development of stress tolerance cultivars in pigeonpea and other legumes crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akshay Singh
- National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute, Mohali, Punjab 140306 India
- Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226031, India
| | | | - Ajay Kumar Sharma
- Meerut Institute of Engineering and Technology, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh 250005, India
| | | | - Humira Sonah
- National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute, Mohali, Punjab 140306 India
| | - Rupesh Deshmukh
- National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute, Mohali, Punjab 140306 India
| | - Tilak Raj Sharma
- National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute, Mohali, Punjab 140306 India.
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Genome-wide identification and characterization of the metal tolerance protein (MTP) family in grape ( Vitis vinifera L.). 3 Biotech 2019; 9:199. [PMID: 31065499 DOI: 10.1007/s13205-019-1728-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Metal tolerance proteins (MTPs) play an important role in the transport of metals at the cellular, tissue and whole plant levels. In the present study, 11 MTP genes were identified and these clustered in three major sub-families Fe/Zn-MTP, Zn-MTP, and Mn-MTP, and seven groups, which are similar to the grouping of MTP genes in both Arabidopsis and rice. Vitis vinifera metal tolerance proteins (VvMTP) ranged from 366 to 1092 amino acids, were predicted to be located in the cell vacuole, and had four to six putative TMDs, except for VvtMTP12 and VvMTP1. The VvMTPs had putative cation diffusion facilitator (CDF) domains and the putative Mn-MTPs also had zinc transporter dimerization domains (ZD-domains). V. vinifera Mn-MTPs had gene structures and motif distributions similar to those of the Fe/Zn-MTP and Zn-MTP sub-families. The upstream regions of VvMTP genes had variable frequencies of cis-regulatory elements that could indicate regulation at different developmental stages and/or differential regulation in response to stress. Comparison of the VvMTP coding sequences with known miRNAs found in various plant species indicated the presence of 13 putative miRNAs, with 7 of these associated with VvMTPs. Temporal and spatial expression profiling indicates a potential role for VvMTP genes during growth and development in grape plants, as well as the involvement of these genes in plant responses to environmental stress, especially osmotic stress. The data generated from this study provides a basis for further investigation of the roles of MTP genes in grapes.
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Qiao Z, Pingault L, Zogli P, Langevin M, Rech N, Farmer A, Libault M. A comparative genomic and transcriptomic analysis at the level of isolated root hair cells reveals new conserved root hair regulatory elements. PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2017; 94:641-655. [PMID: 28687904 DOI: 10.1007/s11103-017-0630-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2017] [Accepted: 06/28/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
KEY MESSAGE A comparative transcriptomic and genomic analysis between Arabidopsis thaliana and Glycine max root hair genes reveals the evolution of the expression of plant genes after speciation and whole genome duplication. Our understanding of the conservation and divergence of the expression patterns of genes between plant species is limited by the quality of the genomic and transcriptomic resources available. Specifically, the transcriptomes generated from plant organs are the reflection of the contribution of the different cell types composing the samples weighted by their relative abundances in the sample. These contributions can vary between plant species leading to the generation of datasets which are difficult to compare. To gain a deeper understanding of the evolution of gene transcription in and between plant species, we performed a comparative transcriptomic and genomic analysis at the level of one single plant cell type, the root hair cell, and between two model plants: Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and soybean (Glycine max). These two species, which diverged 90 million years ago, were selected as models based on the large amount of genomic and root hair transcriptomic information currently available. Our analysis revealed in detail the transcriptional divergence and conservation between soybean paralogs (i.e., the soybean genome is the product of two successive whole genome duplications) and between Arabidopsis and soybean orthologs in this single plant cell type. Taking advantage of this evolutionary study, we combined bioinformatics, molecular, cellular and microscopic tools to characterize plant promoter sequences and the discovery of two root hair regulatory elements (RHE1 and RHE2) consistently and specifically active in plant root hair cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenzhen Qiao
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, 73019, USA
| | - Lise Pingault
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, 73019, USA
| | - Prince Zogli
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, 73019, USA
| | - Micaela Langevin
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, 73019, USA
| | - Niccole Rech
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, 73019, USA
| | - Andrew Farmer
- National Center for Genome Resources, Santa Fe, NM, 87505, USA
| | - Marc Libault
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, 73019, USA.
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Singh A, Sharma AK, Singh NK, Sharma TR. PpTFDB: A pigeonpea transcription factor database for exploring functional genomics in legumes. PLoS One 2017. [PMID: 28651001 PMCID: PMC5484553 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0179736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.), a diploid legume crop, is a member of the tribe Phaseoleae. This tribe is descended from the millettioid (tropical) clade of the subfamily Papilionoideae, which includes many important legume crop species such as soybean (Glycine max), mung bean (Vigna radiata), cowpea (Vigna ungiculata), and common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). It plays major role in food and nutritional security, being rich source of proteins, minerals and vitamins. We have developed a comprehensive Pigeonpea Transcription Factors Database (PpTFDB) that encompasses information about 1829 putative transcription factors (TFs) and their 55 TF families. PpTFDB provides a comprehensive information about each of the identified TFs that includes chromosomal location, protein physicochemical properties, sequence data, protein functional annotation, simple sequence repeats (SSRs) with primers derived from their motifs, orthology with related legume crops, and gene ontology (GO) assignment to respective TFs. (PpTFDB: http://14.139.229.199/PpTFDB/Home.aspx) is a freely available and user friendly web resource that facilitates users to retrieve the information of individual members of a TF family through a set of query interfaces including TF ID or protein functional annotation. In addition, users can also get the information by browsing interfaces, which include browsing by TF Categories and by, GO Categories. This PpTFDB will serve as a promising central resource for researchers as well as breeders who are working towards crop improvement of legume crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akshay Singh
- National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, India
- Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Ajay Kumar Sharma
- Meerut Institute of Engineering and Technology, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | | | - Tilak Raj Sharma
- National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, India
- * E-mail: ,
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Hussain RM, Ali M, Feng X, Li X. The essence of NAC gene family to the cultivation of drought-resistant soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) cultivars. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2017; 17:55. [PMID: 28241800 PMCID: PMC5330122 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-017-1001-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2016] [Accepted: 02/13/2017] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The NAC gene family is notable due to its large size, as well as its relevance in crop cultivation - particularly in terms of enhancing stress tolerance of plants. These plant-specific proteins contain NAC domain(s) that are named after Petunia NAM and Arabidopsis ATAF1/2 and CUC2 transcription factors based on the consensus sequence they have. Despite the knowledge available regarding NAC protein function, an extensive study on the possible use of GmNACs in developing soybean cultivars with superior drought tolerance is yet to be done. RESULTS In response to this, our study was carried out, mainly through means of phylogenetic analysis (rice and Arabidopsis NAC genes served as seeding sequences). Through this, 139 GmNAC genes were identified and later grouped into 17 clusters. Furthermore, real-time quantitative PCR was carried out on drought-stressed and unstressed leaf tissues of both sensitive (B217 and H228) and tolerant (Jindou 74 and 78) cultivars. This was done to analyze the gene expression of 28 dehydration-responsive GmNAC genes. Upon completing the analysis, it was found that GmNAC gene expression is actually dependent on genotype. Eight of the 28 selected genes (GmNAC004, GmNAC021, GmNAC065, GmNAC066, GmNAC073, GmNAC082, GmNAC083 and GmNAC087) were discovered to have high expression levels in the drought-resistant soybean varieties tested. This holds true for both extreme and standard drought conditions. Alternatively, the drought-sensitive cultivars exhibited lower GmNAC expression levels in comparison to their tolerant counterparts. CONCLUSION The study allowed for the identification of eight GmNAC genes that could be focused upon in future attempts to develop superior soybean varieties, particularly in terms of drought resistance. This study revealed that there were more dehydration-responsive GmNAC genes as (GmNAC004, GmNAC005, GmNAC020 and GmNAC021) in addition to what were reported in earlier inquiries. It is important to note though, that discovering such notable genes is not the only goal of the study. It managed to put emphasis on the significance of further understanding the potential of soybean GmNAC genes, for the purpose of enhancing tolerance towards abiotic stress in general. This scientific inquiry has also revealed that cultivar genotypes tend to differ in their drought-induced gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reem M Hussain
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, People's Republic of China.
- Tishreen University, Faculty of Agriculture, Crop Field Department, Tishreen University, Lattakia, Syria.
| | - Mohammed Ali
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, People's Republic of China
| | - Xing Feng
- National Key Lab of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Life science and Technology, Bioinformatics Lab, Huazhong Agriculture University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Xia Li
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, People's Republic of China.
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Shao H, Wang H, Tang X. NAC transcription factors in plant multiple abiotic stress responses: progress and prospects. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2015; 6:902. [PMID: 26579152 PMCID: PMC4625045 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2015.00902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 252] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2015] [Accepted: 10/09/2015] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Abiotic stresses adversely affect plant growth and agricultural productivity. According to the current climate prediction models, crop plants will face a greater number of environmental stresses, which are likely to occur simultaneously in the future. So it is very urgent to breed broad-spectrum tolerant crops in order to meet an increasing demand for food productivity due to global population increase. As one of the largest families of transcription factors (TFs) in plants, NAC TFs play vital roles in regulating plant growth and development processes including abiotic stress responses. Lots of studies indicated that many stress-responsive NAC TFs had been used to improve stress tolerance in crop plants by genetic engineering. In this review, the recent progress in NAC TFs was summarized, and the potential utilization of NAC TFs in breeding abiotic stress tolerant transgenic crops was also be discussed. In view of the complexity of field conditions and the specificity in multiple stress responses, we suggest that the NAC TFs commonly induced by multiple stresses should be promising candidates to produce plants with enhanced multiple stress tolerance. Furthermore, the field evaluation of transgenic crops harboring NAC genes, as well as the suitable promoters for minimizing the negative effects caused by over-expressing some NAC genes, should be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongbo Shao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Bioresources of Saline Soils; Provincial Key Laboratory of Agrobiology, Institute of Agro-biotechnology, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences Nanjing, China ; Key Laboratory of Coastal Biology and Bioresources, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Yantai, China
| | - Hongyan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Coastal Biology and Bioresources, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Yantai, China ; Institute of Technology, Yantai Academy of China Agriculture University Yantai, China
| | - Xiaoli Tang
- Key Laboratory of Coastal Biology and Bioresources, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Yantai, China
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Genome-Wide Analysis of the NAC Gene Family in Physic Nut (Jatropha curcas L.). PLoS One 2015; 10:e0131890. [PMID: 26125188 PMCID: PMC4488383 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0131890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2015] [Accepted: 06/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The NAC proteins (NAM, ATAF1/2 and CUC2) are plant-specific transcriptional regulators that have a conserved NAM domain in the N-terminus. They are involved in various biological processes, including both biotic and abiotic stress responses. In the present study, a total of 100 NAC genes (JcNAC) were identified in physic nut (Jatropha curcas L.). Based on phylogenetic analysis and gene structures, 83 JcNAC genes were classified as members of, or proposed to be diverged from, 39 previously predicted orthologous groups (OGs) of NAC sequences. Physic nut has a single intron-containing NAC gene subfamily that has been lost in many plants. The JcNAC genes are non-randomly distributed across the 11 linkage groups of the physic nut genome, and appear to be preferentially retained duplicates that arose from both ancient and recent duplication events. Digital gene expression analysis indicates that some of the JcNAC genes have tissue-specific expression profiles (e.g. in leaves, roots, stem cortex or seeds), and 29 genes differentially respond to abiotic stresses (drought, salinity, phosphorus deficiency and nitrogen deficiency). Our results will be helpful for further functional analysis of the NAC genes in physic nut.
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Ruiz JL. Descripción de una nueva especie de <em>Tropinota</em> Mulsant, 1842 del subgénero <em>Epicometis</em> Burmeister, 1842 del norte de Marruecos (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae). GRAELLSIA 2015. [DOI: 10.3989/graellsia.2015.v71.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the CaNAC family members in chickpea during development, dehydration and ABA treatments. PLoS One 2014; 9:e114107. [PMID: 25479253 PMCID: PMC4257607 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0114107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2014] [Accepted: 11/02/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The plant-specific NAC transcription factors (TFs) play important roles in regulation of diverse biological processes, including development, growth, cell division and responses to environmental stimuli. In this study, we identified the members of the NAC TF family of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) and assess their expression profiles during plant development and under dehydration and abscisic acid (ABA) treatments in a systematic manner. Seventy-one CaNAC genes were detected from the chickpea genome, including 8 membrane-bound members of which many might be involved in dehydration responses as judged from published literature. Phylogenetic analysis of the chickpea and well-known stress-related Arabidopsis and rice NACs enabled us to predict several putative stress-related CaNACs. By exploring available transcriptome data, we provided a comprehensive expression atlas of CaNACs in various tissues at different developmental stages. With the highest interest in dehydration responses, we examined the expression of the predicted stress-related and membrane-bound CaNACs in roots and leaves of chickpea seedlings, subjected to well-watered (control), dehydration and ABA treatments, using real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Nine-teen of the 23 CaNACs examined were found to be dehydration-responsive in chickpea roots and/or leaves in either ABA-dependent or -independent pathway. Our results have provided a solid foundation for selection of promising tissue-specific and/or dehydration-responsive CaNAC candidates for detailed in planta functional analyses, leading to development of transgenic chickpea varieties with improved productivity under drought.
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