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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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Nakandala U, Furtado A, Masouleh AK, Smith MW, Williams DC, Henry RJ. The genome of Citrus australasica reveals disease resistance and other species specific genes. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2024; 24:260. [PMID: 38594608 PMCID: PMC11005238 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-024-04988-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The finger lime (Citrus australasica), one of six Australian endemic citrus species shows a high natural phenotypic diversity and novel characteristics. The wide variation and unique horticultural features have made this lime an attractive candidate for domestication. Currently no haplotype resolved genome is available for this species. Here we present a high quality, haplotype-resolved reference genome for this species using PacBio HiFi and Hi-C sequencing. RESULTS Hifiasm assembly and SALSA scaffolding resulted in a collapsed genome size of 344.2 Mb and 321.1 Mb and 323.2 Mb size for the two haplotypes. The nine pseudochromosomes of the collapsed genome had an N50 of 35.2 Mb, 99.1% genome assembly completeness and 98.9% gene annotation completeness (BUSCO). A total of 41,304 genes were predicted in the nuclear genome. Comparison with C. australis revealed that 13,661 genes in pseudochromosomes were unique in C. australasica. These were mainly involved in plant-pathogen interactions, stress response, cellular metabolic and developmental processes, and signal transduction. The two genomes showed a syntenic arrangement at the chromosome level with large structural rearrangements in some chromosomes. Genetic variation among five C. australasica cultivars was analysed. Genes related to defense, synthesis of volatile compounds and red/yellow coloration were identified in the genome. A major expansion of genes encoding thylakoid curvature proteins was found in the C. australasica genome. CONCLUSIONS The genome of C. australasica present in this study is of high quality and contiguity. This genome helps deepen our understanding of citrus evolution and reveals disease resistance and quality related genes with potential to accelerate the genetic improvement of citrus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Upuli Nakandala
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture, University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Australia
| | - Agnelo Furtado
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture, University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Australia
| | - Ardashir Kharabian Masouleh
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture, University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Australia
| | - Malcolm W Smith
- Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Bundaberg Research Station, Bundaberg, QLD, 4670, Australia
| | | | - Robert J Henry
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Australia.
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture, University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, Australia.
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Cai O, Zhang H, Yang L, Wu H, Qin M, Yao W, Huang F, Li L, Lin S. Integrated Transcriptome and Metabolome Analyses Reveal Bamboo Culm Color Formation Mechanisms Involved in Anthocyanin Biosynthetic in Phyllostachys nigra. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:1738. [PMID: 38339012 PMCID: PMC10855043 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25031738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 01/27/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Phyllostachys nigra has green young culms (S1) and purple black mature culms (S4). Anthocyanins are the principal pigment responsible for color presentation in ornamental plants. We employ a multi-omics approach to investigate the regulatory mechanisms of anthocyanins in Ph. nigra. Firstly, we found that the pigments of the culm of Ph. nigra accumulated only in one to four layers of cells below the epidermis. The levels of total anthocyanins and total flavonoids gradually increased during the process of bamboo culm color formation. Metabolomics analysis indicated that the predominant pigment metabolites observed were petunidin 3-O-glucoside and malvidin O-hexoside, exhibiting a significant increase of up to 9.36-fold and 13.23-fold, respectively, during pigmentation of Ph. nigra culm. Transcriptomics sequencing has revealed that genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and starch and sucrose metabolism pathways were significantly enriched, leading to color formation. A total of 62 differentially expressed structural genes associated with anthocyanin synthesis were identified. Notably, PnANS2, PnUFGT2, PnCHI2, and PnCHS1 showed significant correlations with anthocyanin metabolites. Additionally, certain transcription factors such as PnMYB6 and PnMYB1 showed significant positive or negative correlations with anthocyanins. With the accumulation of sucrose, the expression of PnMYB6 is enhanced, which in turn triggers the expression of anthocyanin biosynthesis genes. Based on these findings, we propose that these key genes primarily regulate the anthocyanin synthesis pathway in the culm and contribute to the accumulation of anthocyanin, ultimately resulting in the purple-black coloration of Ph. nigra.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ou Cai
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China; (O.C.); (H.Z.); (L.Y.); (H.W.); (M.Q.); (W.Y.); (F.H.)
- Bamboo Research Institute, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Hanjiao Zhang
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China; (O.C.); (H.Z.); (L.Y.); (H.W.); (M.Q.); (W.Y.); (F.H.)
- Bamboo Research Institute, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Lu Yang
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China; (O.C.); (H.Z.); (L.Y.); (H.W.); (M.Q.); (W.Y.); (F.H.)
- Bamboo Research Institute, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Hongyu Wu
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China; (O.C.); (H.Z.); (L.Y.); (H.W.); (M.Q.); (W.Y.); (F.H.)
- Bamboo Research Institute, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Min Qin
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China; (O.C.); (H.Z.); (L.Y.); (H.W.); (M.Q.); (W.Y.); (F.H.)
- Bamboo Research Institute, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Wenjing Yao
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China; (O.C.); (H.Z.); (L.Y.); (H.W.); (M.Q.); (W.Y.); (F.H.)
- Bamboo Research Institute, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Feiyi Huang
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China; (O.C.); (H.Z.); (L.Y.); (H.W.); (M.Q.); (W.Y.); (F.H.)
- Bamboo Research Institute, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Long Li
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China; (O.C.); (H.Z.); (L.Y.); (H.W.); (M.Q.); (W.Y.); (F.H.)
- Bamboo Research Institute, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Shuyan Lin
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China; (O.C.); (H.Z.); (L.Y.); (H.W.); (M.Q.); (W.Y.); (F.H.)
- Bamboo Research Institute, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
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Duan SF, Zhao Y, Yu JC, Xiang GS, Xiao L, Cui R, Hu QQ, Baldwin TC, Lu YC, Liang YL. Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the C2H2-zinc finger transcription factor gene family and screening of candidate genes involved in floral development in Coptis teeta Wall. (Ranunculaceae). Front Genet 2024; 15:1349673. [PMID: 38317660 PMCID: PMC10839097 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2024.1349673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: C2H2-zinc finger transcription factors comprise one of the largest and most diverse gene superfamilies and are involved in the transcriptional regulation of flowering. Although a large number of C2H2 zinc-finger proteins (C2H2-ZFPs) have been well characterized in a number of model plant species, little is known about their expression and function in Coptis teeta. C. teeta displays two floral phenotypes (herkogamy phenotypes). It has been proposed that the C2H2-zinc finger transcription factor family may play a crucial role in the formation of floral development and herkogamy observed in C. teeta. As such, we performed a genome-wide analysis of the C2H2-ZFP gene family in C. teeta. Results: The complexity and diversity of C. teeta C2H2 zinc finger proteins were established by evaluation of their physicochemical properties, phylogenetic relationships, exon-intron structure, and conserved motifs. Chromosome localization showed that 95 members of the C2H2 zinc-finger genes were unevenly distributed across the nine chromosomes of C. teeta, and that these genes were replicated in tandem and segmentally and had undergone purifying selection. Analysis of cis-acting regulatory elements revealed a possible involvement of C2H2 zinc-finger proteins in the regulation of phytohormones. Transcriptome data was then used to compare the expression levels of these genes during the growth and development of the two floral phenotypes (F-type and M-type). These data demonstrate that in groups A and B, the expression levels of 23 genes were higher in F-type flowers, while 15 genes showed higher expressions in M-type flowers. qRT-PCR analysis further revealed that the relative expression was highly consistent with the transcriptome data. Conclusion: These data provide a solid basis for further in-depth studies of the C2H2 zinc finger transcription factor gene family in this species and provide preliminary information on which to base further research into the role of the C2H2 ZFPs gene family in floral development in C. teeta.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shao-Feng Duan
- The Key Laboratory of Medicinal Plant Biology of Yunnan Province, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center on Gemplasm Innovation and Utilization of Chinese Medicinal Materials in Southwest, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Yan Zhao
- The Key Laboratory of Medicinal Plant Biology of Yunnan Province, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center on Gemplasm Innovation and Utilization of Chinese Medicinal Materials in Southwest, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Ji-Chen Yu
- The Key Laboratory of Medicinal Plant Biology of Yunnan Province, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center on Gemplasm Innovation and Utilization of Chinese Medicinal Materials in Southwest, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Gui-Sheng Xiang
- The Key Laboratory of Medicinal Plant Biology of Yunnan Province, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center on Gemplasm Innovation and Utilization of Chinese Medicinal Materials in Southwest, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Lin Xiao
- The Key Laboratory of Medicinal Plant Biology of Yunnan Province, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center on Gemplasm Innovation and Utilization of Chinese Medicinal Materials in Southwest, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Rui Cui
- Yunnan Land and Resources Vocational College, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Qian-Qian Hu
- Zhongshan Zhongzhi Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd., Zhongshan, Guangdong, China
| | - Timothy Charles Baldwin
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom
| | - Ying-Chun Lu
- Yunnan Agricultural University College of Education and Vocational Education, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Yan-Li Liang
- The Key Laboratory of Medicinal Plant Biology of Yunnan Province, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center on Gemplasm Innovation and Utilization of Chinese Medicinal Materials in Southwest, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
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Wang X, Jin Z, Ding Y, Guo M. Characterization of HSP70 family in watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus): identification, structure, evolution, and potential function in response to ABA, cold and drought stress. Front Genet 2023; 14:1201535. [PMID: 37323666 PMCID: PMC10265491 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1201535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) as a crop with important economic value, is widely cultivated around the world. The heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) family in plant is indispensable under stress conditions. However, no comprehensive analysis of watermelon HSP70 family is reported to date. In this study, 12 ClHSP70 genes were identified from watermelon, which were unevenly located in 7 out of 11 chromosomes and divided into three subfamilies. ClHSP70 proteins were predicted to be localized primarily in cytoplasm, chloroplast, and endoplasmic reticulum. Two pairs of segmental repeats and 1 pair of tandem repeats existed in ClHSP70 genes, and ClHSP70s underwent strong purification selection. There were many abscisic acid (ABA) and abiotic stress response elements in ClHSP70 promoters. Additionally, the transcriptional levels of ClHSP70s in roots, stems, true leaves, and cotyledons were also analyzed. Some of ClHSP70 genes were also strongly induced by ABA. Furthermore, ClHSP70s also had different degrees of response to drought and cold stress. The above data indicate that ClHSP70s may be participated in growth and development, signal transduction and abiotic stress response, laying a foundation for further analysis of the function of ClHSP70s in biological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinsheng Wang
- School of Wine and Horticulture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China
| | - Zhi Jin
- School of Wine and Horticulture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China
| | - Yina Ding
- School of Wine and Horticulture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China
| | - Meng Guo
- School of Wine and Horticulture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China
- Key Laboratory of Modern Molecular Breeding for Dominant and Special Crops in Ningxia, Yinchuan, China
- Ningxia Modern Facility Horticulture Engineering Technology Research Center, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China
- Ningxia Facility Horticulture Technology Innovation Center, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China
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