Genomic analyses of wheat Aspartic proteinase gene family provide novel insights for wheat stress responses

Abstract Background Sucrose nonfermenting-1 (SNF1)-related protein kinases (SnRKs) play important roles in regulating metabolism and stress responses in plants, providing a conduit for crosstalk between metabolic and stress signalling, in some cases involving the stress hormone, abscisic acid (ABA). The burgeoning and divergence of the plant gene family has led to the evolution of three subfamilies, SnRK1, SnRK2 and SnRK3, of which SnRK2 and SnRK3 are unique to plants. Therefore, the study of SnRKs in crops may lead to the development of strategies for breeding crop varieties that are more resilient under stress conditions. In the present study, we describe the SnRK gene family of barley (Hordeum vulgare), the widespread cultivation of which can be attributed to its good adaptation to different environments. Results The barley HvSnRK gene family was elucidated in its entirety from publicly-available genome data and found to comprise 50 genes. Phylogenetic analyses assigned six of the genes to the HvSnRK1 subfamily, 10 to HvSnRK2 and 34 to HvSnRK3. The search was validated by applying it to Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and rice (Oryza sativa) genome data, identifying 50 SnRK genes in rice (four OsSnRK1, 11 OsSnRK2 and 35 OsSnRK3) and 39 in Arabidopsis (three AtSnRK1, 10 AtSnRK2 and 26 AtSnRK3). Specific motifs were identified in the encoded barley proteins, and multiple putative regulatory elements were found in the gene promoters, with light-regulated elements (LRE), ABA response elements (ABRE) and methyl jasmonate response elements (MeJa) the most common. RNA-seq analysis showed that many of the HvSnRK genes responded to ABA, some positively, some negatively and some with complex time-dependent responses. Conclusions The barley HvSnRK gene family is large, comprising 50 members, subdivided into HvSnRK1 (6 members), HvSnRK2 (10 members) and HvSnRK3 (34 members), showing differential positive and negative responses to ABA.

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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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Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of the Histone Deacetylase Gene Family in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants10010019 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 19

Author(s):

Peng Jin ◽

Shiqi Gao ◽

Long He ◽

Miaoze Xu ◽

Tianye Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Abiotic Stress ◽

Gene Family ◽

Mosaic Virus ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Viral Infections ◽

Phylogenetic Analyses ◽

Plant Viruses ◽

Gene Family Evolution ◽

Yellow Mosaic Virus ◽

Wheat Yellow Mosaic Virus

Histone acetylation is a dynamic modification process co-regulated by histone acetyltransferases (HATs) and histone deacetylases (HDACs). Although HDACs play vital roles in abiotic or biotic stress responses, their members in Triticumaestivum and their response to plant viruses remain unknown. Here, we identified and characterized 49 T. aestivumHDACs (TaHDACs) at the whole-genome level. Based on phylogenetic analyses, TaHDACs could be divided into 5 clades, and their protein spatial structure was integral and conserved. Chromosomal location and synteny analyses showed that TaHDACs were widely distributed on wheat chromosomes, and gene duplication has accelerated the TaHDAC gene family evolution. The cis-acting element analysis indicated that TaHDACs were involved in hormone response, light response, abiotic stress, growth, and development. Heatmaps analysis of RNA-sequencing data showed that TaHDAC genes were involved in biotic or abiotic stress response. Selected TaHDACs were differentially expressed in diverse tissues or under varying temperature conditions. All selected TaHDACs were significantly upregulated following infection with the barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV), Chinese wheat mosaic virus (CWMV), and wheat yellow mosaic virus (WYMV), suggesting their involvement in response to viral infections. Furthermore, TaSRT1-silenced contributed to increasing wheat resistance against CWMV infection. In summary, these findings could help deepen the understanding of the structure and characteristics of the HDAC gene family in wheat and lay the foundation for exploring the function of TaHDACs in plants resistant to viral infections.

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Evolution, expression and functional analysis of cultivated allotetraploid cotton DIR genes

BMC Plant Biology ◽

10.1186/s12870-021-02859-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Zhengwen Liu ◽

Xingfen Wang ◽

Zhengwen Sun ◽

Yan Zhang ◽

Chengsheng Meng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Family ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Rapid Evolution ◽

Gene Clusters ◽

Vital Role ◽

Fiber Development ◽

Rna Seq ◽

Evolutionarily Conserved ◽

Cell Wall Development ◽

Tandem Duplications

Abstract Background Dirigent (DIR) proteins mediate regioselectivity and stereoselectivity during lignan biosynthesis and are also involved in lignin, gossypol and pterocarpan biosynthesis. This gene family plays a vital role in enhancing stress resistance and in secondary cell-wall development, but systematical understanding is lacking in cotton. Results In this study, 107 GbDIRs and 107 GhDIRs were identified in Gossypium barbadense and Gossypium hirsutum, respectively. Most of these genes have a classical gene structure without intron and encode proteins containing a signal peptide. Phylogenetic analysis showed that cotton DIR genes were classified into four distinct subfamilies (a, b/d, e, and f). Of these groups, DIR-a and DIR-e were evolutionarily conserved, and segmental and tandem duplications contributed equally to their formation. In contrast, DIR-b/d mainly expanded by recent tandem duplications, accompanying with a number of gene clusters. With the rapid evolution, DIR-b/d-III was a Gossypium-specific clade involved in atropselective synthesis of gossypol. RNA-seq data highlighted GhDIRs in response to Verticillium dahliae infection and suggested that DIR gene family could confer Verticillium wilt resistance. We also identified candidate DIR genes related to fiber development in G. barbadense and G. hirsutum and revealed their differential expression. To further determine the involvement of DIR genes in fiber development, we overexpressed a fiber length-related gene GbDIR78 in Arabidopsis and validated its function in trichomes and hypocotyls. Conclusions These findings contribute novel insights towards the evolution of DIR gene family and provide valuable information for further understanding the roles of DIR genes in cotton fiber development as well as in stress responses.

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The PIN gene family in relic plant L. chinense: genome-wide identification and gene expression profiling in different organizations and abiotic stress responses

Plant Physiology and Biochemistry ◽

10.1016/j.plaphy.2021.03.030 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lingfeng Hu ◽

Pengkai Wang ◽

Xiaofei Long ◽

Weihuang Wu ◽

Jiaji Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Abiotic Stress ◽

Gene Family ◽

Gene Expression Profiling ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Expression Profiling ◽

Genome Wide

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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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Porcine Pregnancy-Associated Glycoproteins: New Members of the Aspartic Proteinase Gene Family Expressed in Trophectoderm1

Biology of Reproduction ◽

10.1095/biolreprod53.1.21 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 53 (1) ◽

pp. 21-28 ◽

Cited By ~ 63

Author(s):

Bozena Szafranska ◽

Sancai Xie ◽

Jonathan Green ◽

R. Michael Roberts

Keyword(s):

Gene Family ◽

Aspartic Proteinase ◽

New Members

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Genome-wide identification, evolution, and expression analysis of the NPR1-like gene family in pears

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.12617 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. e12617

Author(s):

Yarui Wei ◽

Shuliang Zhao ◽

Na Liu ◽

Yuxing Zhang

Keyword(s):

Gene Family ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Systemic Acquired Resistance ◽

Acquired Resistance ◽

Signal Transduction Pathway ◽

Promoter Regions ◽

Systematic Analysis ◽

Genome Wide ◽

Pathogenesis Related ◽

Genome Level

The NONEXPRESSOR OF PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENES 1 (NPR1) plays a master regulatory role in the salicylic acid (SA) signal transduction pathway and plant systemic acquired resistance (SAR). Members of the NPR1-like gene family have been reported to the associated with biotic/abiotic stress in many plants, however the genome-wide characterization of NPR1-like genes has not been carried out in Chinese pear (Pyrus bretschneideri Reld). In this study, a systematic analysis was conducted on the characteristics of the NPR1-like genes in P. bretschneideri Reld at the whole-genome level. A total nine NPR1-like genes were detected which eight genes were located on six chromosomes and one gene was mapped to scaffold. Based on the phylogenetic analysis, the nine PbrNPR1-like proteins were divided into three clades (Clades I–III) had similar gene structure, domain and conserved motifs. We sorted the cis-acting elements into three clades, including plant growth and development, stress responses, and hormone responses in the promoter regions of PbrNPR1-like genes. The result of qPCR analysis showed that expression diversity of PbrNPR1-like genes in various tissues. All the genes were up-regulated after SA treatment in leaves except for Pbrgene8896. PbrNPR1-like genes showed circadian rhythm and significantly different expression levels after inoculation with Alternaria alternata. These findings provide a solid insight for understanding the functions and evolution of PbrNPR1-like genes in Chinese pear.

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Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of the RCI2 Gene Family in Allotetraploid Brassica napus Compared with Its Diploid Progenitors

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms23020614 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

pp. 614

Author(s):

Weiqi Sun ◽

Mengdi Li ◽

Jianbo Wang

Keyword(s):

Brassica Napus ◽

Gene Family ◽

Gene Structure ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Stress Protein ◽

Purifying Selection ◽

Cis Acting ◽

Genome Wide ◽

Duplication Events

Brassica napus and its diploid progenitors (B. rapa and B. oleracea) are suitable for studying the problems associated with polyploidization. As an important anti-stress protein, RCI2 proteins widely exist in various tissues of plants, and are crucial to plant growth, development, and stress response. In this study, the RCI2 gene family was comprehensively identified and analyzed, and 9, 9, and 24 RCI2 genes were identified in B. rapa, B. oleracea, and B. napus, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all of the identified RCI2 genes were divided into two groups, and further divided into three subgroups. Ka/Ks analysis showed that most of the identified RCI2 genes underwent a purifying selection after the duplication events. Moreover, gene structure analysis showed that the structure of RCI2 genes is largely conserved during polyploidization. The promoters of the RCI2 genes in B. napus contained more cis-acting elements, which were mainly involved in plant development and growth, plant hormone response, and stress responses. Thus, B. napus might have potential advantages in some biological aspects. In addition, the changes of RCI2 genes during polyploidization were also discussed from the aspects of gene number, gene structure, gene relative location, and gene expression, which can provide reference for future polyploidization analysis.

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