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Rehman S, Bahadur S, Xia W. Unlocking nature's secrets: The pivotal role of WRKY transcription factors in plant flowering and fruit development. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2024; 346:112150. [PMID: 38857658 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2024.112150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 06/02/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
The WRKY transcription factor family is a key player in the regulatory mechanisms of flowering plants, significantly influencing both their biotic and abiotic response systems as well as being vital to numerous physiological and biological functions. Over the past two decades, the functionality of WRKY proteins has been the subject of extensive research in over 50 plant species, with a strong focus on their roles in responding to various stresses. Despite this extensive research, there remains a notable gap in comprehensive studies aimed at understanding how specific WRKY genes directly influence the timing of flowering and fruit development. This review offers an up-to-date look at WRKY family genes and provides insights into the key genes of WRKY to control flowering, enhance fruit ripening and secondary metabolism synthesis, and maintain fruit quality of various plants, including annuals, perennials, medicinal, and crop plants. The WRKY transcription factors serve as critical regulators within the transcriptional regulatory network, playing a crucial role in the precise enhancement of flowering processes. It is also involved in the up-regulation of fruit ripening was strongly demonstrated by combined transcriptomics and metabolomic investigation. Therefore, we speculated that the WRKY family is known to be a key regulator of flowering and fruiting in plants. This detailed insight will enable the identification of the series of molecular occurrences featuring WRKY proteins throughout the stages of flowering and fruiting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shazia Rehman
- Sanya Nanfan Research Institution, Hainan University, Sanya, China; College of Tropical Crops, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Saraj Bahadur
- College of Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China; College of Life and Health Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.
| | - Wei Xia
- Sanya Nanfan Research Institution, Hainan University, Sanya, China; College of Tropical Crops, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.
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Fan L, Niu Z, Shi G, Song Z, Yang Q, Zhou S, Wang L. WRKY22 Transcription Factor from Iris laevigata Regulates Flowering Time and Resistance to Salt and Drought. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:1191. [PMID: 38732405 PMCID: PMC11085594 DOI: 10.3390/plants13091191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Revised: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
Iris laevigata Fisch. is an excellent ornamental plant in cold regions due to its unique ornamental ability and strong cold resistance. However, the flowering period of the population is only about 20 days, greatly limiting its potential uses in landscaping and the cutting flower industry. In addition, I. laevigata is often challenged with various abiotic stresses including high salinity and drought in its native habitats. Thus, breeding novel cultivars with delayed flowering time and higher resistance to abiotic stress is of high importance. In this study, we utilized sequencing data from the I. laevigata transcriptome to identify WRKYs and characterized IlWRKY22, a key transcription factor that modulates flowering time and abiotic stress responses. IlWRKY22 is induced by salt and drought stress. We cloned IlWRKY22 and found that it is a Group IIe WRKY localized in the nucleus. Overexpressing IlWRKY22 in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. and Nicotiana tabacum L. resulted in a delayed flowering time in the transgenic plants. We created transgenic N. tabacum overexpressing IlWRKY22, which showed significantly improved resistance to both salt and drought compared to the control plants. Thus, our study revealed a unique dual function of IlWRKY22, an excellent candidate gene for breeding novel Iris cultivars of desirable traits.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Ling Wang
- College of Landscape Architecture, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China; (L.F.); (Z.N.); (G.S.); (Z.S.); (Q.Y.); (S.Z.)
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Zhang Y, Qu X, Li X, Ren M, Tong Y, Wu X, Sun Y, Wu F, Yang A, Chen S. Comprehensive transcriptome and WGCNA analysis reveals the potential function of anthocyanins in low-temperature resistance of a red flower mutant tobacco. Genomics 2023; 115:110728. [PMID: 37858843 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2023.110728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
The anthocyanin is a protective substance in various plants, and plays important roles in resisting to low-temperature. Here, we explored transcriptome analysis of pink flower (as CK) and the natural mutant red flower (as research objects) under low-temperature conditions, and aimed to reveal the potential functions of anthocyanins and anthocyanin-related regulatory factors in resistance to low-temperature. Our results showed that most of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) encoding key enzymes in the late stage of anthocyanin metabolism in the mutant were significantly up-regulated. Meanwhile, several genes significantly differentially expressed in CK or mutant were obtained by classification and analysis of transcription factors (TFs), phytohormones and osmoregulators. Additionally, WGCNA was carried out to mine hub genes resistanted to low-temperature stress in flavonoid pathway. Finally, one UFGT family gene, three MYB and one bHLH were obtained as the future hub genes of this study. Combined with the above information, we concluded that the ability of the red flower mutant to grow and develop normally at low-temperatures was the result of a combination of flavonoids and cold resistance genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinchao Zhang
- Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qingdao 266101, China
| | - Xiaoling Qu
- Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qingdao 266101, China
| | - Xiuchun Li
- Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qingdao 266101, China
| | - Min Ren
- Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qingdao 266101, China
| | - Ying Tong
- Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qingdao 266101, China
| | - Xiuming Wu
- Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qingdao 266101, China
| | - Yangyang Sun
- Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qingdao 266101, China
| | - Fengyan Wu
- Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qingdao 266101, China
| | - Aiguo Yang
- Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qingdao 266101, China.
| | - Shuai Chen
- Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qingdao 266101, China.
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KhokharVoytas A, Shahbaz M, Maqsood MF, Zulfiqar U, Naz N, Iqbal UZ, Sara M, Aqeel M, Khalid N, Noman A, Zulfiqar F, Al Syaad KM, AlShaqhaa MA. Genetic modification strategies for enhancing plant resilience to abiotic stresses in the context of climate change. Funct Integr Genomics 2023; 23:283. [PMID: 37642792 DOI: 10.1007/s10142-023-01202-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Enhancing the resilience of plants to abiotic stresses, such as drought, salinity, heat, and cold, is crucial for ensuring global food security challenge in the context of climate change. The adverse effects of climate change, characterized by rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and increased frequency of extreme weather events, pose significant threats to agricultural systems worldwide. Genetic modification strategies offer promising approaches to develop crops with improved abiotic stress tolerance. This review article provides a comprehensive overview of various genetic modification techniques employed to enhance plant resilience. These strategies include the introduction of stress-responsive genes, transcription factors, and regulatory elements to enhance stress signaling pathways. Additionally, the manipulation of hormone signaling pathways, osmoprotectant accumulation, and antioxidant defense mechanisms is discussed. The use of genome editing tools, such as CRISPR-Cas9, for precise modification of target genes related to stress tolerance is also explored. Furthermore, the challenges and future prospects of genetic modification for abiotic stress tolerance are highlighted. Understanding and harnessing the potential of genetic modification strategies can contribute to the development of resilient crop varieties capable of withstanding adverse environmental conditions caused by climate change, thereby ensuring sustainable agricultural productivity and food security.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Muhammad Shahbaz
- Department of Botany, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
| | | | - Usman Zulfiqar
- Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, 63100, Pakistan.
| | - Nargis Naz
- Department of Botany, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, Pakistan
| | - Usama Zafar Iqbal
- Department of Botany, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Maheen Sara
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Government College Women University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Aqeel
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems (SKLHIGA), College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, People's Republic of China
| | - Noreen Khalid
- Department of Botany, Government College Women University Sialkot, Sialkot, Pakistan
| | - Ali Noman
- Department of Botany, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Faisal Zulfiqar
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur, 63100, Pakistan
| | - Khalid M Al Syaad
- Department of Biology, College of Science, King Khalid University, Abha, 61413, Saudi Arabia
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Identification of MADS-Box Transcription Factors in Iris laevigata and Functional Assessment of IlSEP3 and IlSVP during Flowering. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23179950. [PMID: 36077350 PMCID: PMC9456522 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23179950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Iris laevigata is ideal for gardening and landscaping in northeast China because of its beautiful flowers and strong cold resistance. However, the short length of flowering time (2 days for individual flowers) greatly limits its applications. Molecular breeding and engineering hold high potential for producing I. laevigata of desirable flowering properties. A prerequisite is to identify and characterize key flowering control genes, the identity of which remains largely unknown in I. laevigata due to the lack of genome information. To fill this knowledge gap, we used sequencing data of the I. laevigata transcriptome to identify MADS-box gene-encoding transcription factors that have been shown to play key roles in developmental processes, including flowering. Our data revealed 41 putative MADS-box genes, which consisted of 8 type I (5 Mα and 3 Mβ, respectively) and 33 type II members (2 MIKC* and 31 MIKCC, respectively). We then selected IlSEP3 and IlSVP for functional studies and found that both are localized to the nucleus and that they interact physically in vitro. Ectopic expression of IlSEP3 in Arabidopsis resulted in early flowering (32 days) compared to that of control plants (36 days), which could be mediated by modulating the expression of FT, SOC1, AP1, SVP, SPL3, VRN1, and GA20OX. By contrast, plants overexpressing IlSVP were phenotypically similar to that of wild type. Our functional validation of IlSEP3 was consistent with the notion that SEP3 promotes flowering in multiple plant species and indicated that IlSEP3 regulates flowering in I. laevigata. Taken together, this work provided a systematic identification of MADS-box genes in I. laevigata and demonstrated that the flowering time of I. laevigata can be genetically controlled by altering the expression of key MADS-box genes.
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