This study establishes a solid foundation for further clarifying the biological functions and molecular mechanisms of ZmEREB54 in regulating maize root growth and development, as well as responding to drought and salt stresses.
Abstract
AP2/ERF (APETALA2/ethylene-responsive factor) represents one of the largest transcription factor superfamilies in plants, playing crucial roles in regulating plant growth and development as well as responding to abiotic stresses. Investigating the functions of maize (Zea mays L.) AP2/ERF family genes will provide novel genetic resources for maize genetic improvement. In this study, the AP2/ERF transcription factor superfamily member ZmEREB54 (GRMZM2G020054, Gene ID: 100,278,463) was cloned from maize and was systematically analyzed functionally. The full-length CDS of ZmEREB54 gene was 561 bp, encoding 186 amino acids with a typical AP2/ERF conserved domain. Its promoter region contained cis-acting elements associated with responses to various abiotic stresses and hormones. Maize expression pattern analysis revealed that ZmEREB54 was highly expressed in V12 roots, with significant expression changes under osmotic stress, drought, high salinity, and treatments with abscisic acid (ABA) and jasmonic acid (JA). Phenotypic analysis showed that transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana over-expressing ZmEREB54 exhibited significantly longer roots compared to wild-type plants under high salinity, drought, osmotic stress, and hormone treatments (JA, ABA). Stress-responsive marker genes RD29A and RD22 were upregulated in the transgenic A. thaliana lines. The significantly decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation and markedly increased peroxidase (POD) activity in transgenic A. thaliana further demonstrate the improvement of its stress tolerance. Yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) assays revealed an interaction between ZmEREB54 and ZmMADS24.6, suggesting potential cooperative regulation of ZmEREB54 and ZmMADS24.6 in maize root development and stress responses. This study establishes a solid foundation for further clarifying the biological functions and molecular mechanisms of ZmEREB54 in regulating maize root growth and development, as well as responding to drought and salt stresses.
Understanding of how ZmJAZ genes contribute to drought adaptation in maize is advanced, offering a conceptual framework that links molecular responses to climate-resilient traits essential for sustainable crop production under water-limited conditions in the face of climate change.
Tian-Yuan Qin, Yu-Ping Lv, Richard Dormatey et al.· Scientific Reports· 0 citations
In this study, Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) was used as the experimental material to systematically identify members of the AP2/ERF transcription factor family in its genome and to elucidate the response patterns and potential regulatory networks of this family under drought stress. A total of 756 AP2/ERF genes were identified and classified into four subfamilies: AP2, ERF, DREB, and RAV, among which the DREB and ERF subfamilies exhibited significant expansion. Evolutionary analysis indicated that whole-genome duplication (WGD)/segmental duplication was the primary driving force underlying the expansion of this family. Under graded drought treatments, multiple AP2/ERF genes were significantly upregulated, with MsERF210 showing continuously increasing expression as drought intensity escalated. WGCNA revealed that MsERF210 was highly positively correlated with antioxidant-related modules, including “Glutathione metabolism,” “Peroxisome,” and “Ascorbate and aldarate metabolism.” Further analysis showed that several antioxidant genes, such as SOD, GST, ALDH, and IDH, were significantly upregulated under drought stress, and their promoter regions were predicted to be bound by MsERF210. Physiological indicator measurements demonstrated that drought stress led to increased accumulation of H2O2 and MDA, along with elevated contents of AsA, DHA, GSH, and GSSG, while SOD activity initially increased and then decreased. qRT-PCR validated the expression trends of key genes, confirming the reliability of the transcriptome data. In summary, this study reveals the evolutionary characteristics of the AP2/ERF family in alfalfa and identifies MsERF210 as a key regulator that may enhance alfalfa’s adaptability to drought stress by modulating the antioxidant defense system and redox homeostasis. These findings provide important candidate gene resources and a theoretical basis for breeding new drought-resistant alfalfa varieties.
Homeodomain-leucine zipper (HD-Zip) transcription factors play important roles in plant growth, development, and abiotic stress responses. However, bioinformatic analyses and functional studies of HD-Zip family in peanut are scarce. In this study, 128 AhHDZ genes were identified and classified into four subfamilies in the phylogenetic analysis. Transcriptomic data and RT-qPCR analysis indicated the expression levels of AhHDZ4 and AhHDZ15 were significantly elevated in response to 12h of salt stress, while AhHDZ4/15/60/69/126 all showed a progressive increase over time in response to drought stress. AhHDZ15 protein was localized in the nucleus. Under salt and drought stress, the germination rates of AhHDZ15-overexpressing in Arabidopsis were significantly higher than wild-type (WT), and root lengths were also significantly longer than WT. In addition, the SOD, CAT, chlorophyll content, and Relative Leaf Water Content (RLWC) value of leaves in AhHDZ15-overexpressing lines were significantly higher than WT, while the MDA content was significantly lower than WT. The above results indicate that heterologous overexpression of AhHDZ15 enhanced salt and drought tolerance in Arabidopsis. Furthermore, AhHDZ15 could bind to the L1-box element of the AhVNI2 promoter, thereby activating AhVNI2 transcription and enhancing the expression of downstream salt stress-responsive genes. These findings implies a potential function of AhHDZ15 in peanut that requires further validation.
Cui-Cui Wu, Deng-Ke Chen, Ze Zhang et al.· Plant Science· 0 citations
The results of STRING-based computer simulations predicting protein–protein interactions indicate that PpTCP3 and PpTCP5 interact with key hormone pathways and stress-related transcription factors (TFs), including auxin signaling and strigolactone signaling.
Yanfu Jing, Yang Yu, Zi-Min Xiao et al.· International Journal of Mol...· 0 citations
Nitrogen limitation restricts plant growth, development, and yield in crops and forage species. Although TCP transcription factors are implicated in diverse abiotic-stress responses, the functions of most TCP genes in oat remain unclear. Here, we cloned and characterized the AsTCP38 gene, which is 1215 bp long and encodes a 405-amino-acid protein. The predicted protein contains a conserved TCP domain and shares its highest sequence similarity with Arabidopsis thaliana (A. thaliana) AtTCP15. The AsTCP38 protein localized to the nucleus, and promoter analysis identified cis-elements associated with light, hormone, and stress responses. We generated AsTCP38-overexpressing A. thaliana and wheat plants and screened an oat leaf yeast cDNA library for candidate interacting proteins. In these heterologous overexpression lines, AsTCP38 overexpression was associated with greater abscisic acid (ABA) sensitivity and improved seedling growth under low-nitrogen conditions. Changes in antioxidant-enzyme activities, nitrogen-metabolism-related enzyme activities, and endogenous hormone contents were also observed. Together, these findings suggest that AsTCP38 may participate in low-nitrogen responses and provide a basis for further functional studies in oat. Direct regulatory targets and the contribution of AsTCP38 to low-nitrogen adaptation in oat remain to be established.
Jing Pan, Ze-Liang Ju, Xiang Ma et al.· International Journal of Mol...· 0 citations
A comprehensive genome-wide annotation of the E2F family within the Zunla-1 pepper genome is conducted and it is shown that CaDPb participates in the regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, the expression of drought-responsive genes, and the modulation of stomatal aperture.
Rong Lu, Yishui Chen, Longxue Li et al.· Plant Science· 0 citations
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