Identification of ERF genes in peanuts and functional analysis of AhERF008 and AhERF019 in abiotic stress response

Ethylene-responsive factor (ERF) play an important role in regulating gene expression in plant development and response to stresses. In peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.), which produce flowers aerially and pods underground, only a few ERF genes have been identified so far. This study identifies 63 ERF unigenes from 247,313 peanut EST sequences available in the NCBI database. The phylogeny, gene structures, and putative conserved motifs in the peanut ERF proteins were analysed. Comparative analysis revealed the absence of two subgroups (A1 and A3) of the ERF family in peanuts; only 10 subgroups were identified in peanuts compared to 12 subgroups in Arabidopsis and soybeans. AP2/ERF domains were found to be conserved among peanuts, Arabidopsis, and soybeans. Outside the AP2/ERF domain, many soybean-specific conserved motifs were also detected in peanuts. The expression analysis of ERF family genes representing each clade revealed differential expression patterns in response to biotic and abiotic stresses. Overexpression of AhERF008 influenced the root gravity of Arabidopsis, whereas overexpression of AhERF019 enhanced tolerance to drought, heat, and salt stresses in Arabidopsis. The information generated in this study will be helpful to further investigate the function of ERFs in plant development and stress response.     

Responses of Populus trichocarpa galactinol synthase genes to abiotic stresses

Galactinol synthase (GolS; EC 2.4.1.123) is a member of the glycosyltransferase eight family that catalyzes the first step in the biosynthesis pathway of the raffinose family of oligosaccharides (RFOs). The accumulation of RFOs in response to abiotic stress indicates a role for RFOs in stress adaptation. To obtain information on the roles of RFOs in abiotic stress adaptation in trees, we investigated the expression patterns of nine Populus trichocarpa GolS (PtrGolS) genes with special reference to stress responses. PtrGolS genes were differentially expressed in different organs, and the expressions of PtrGolS4 and PtrGolS6 were relatively high in all tested organs. The expression levels of all PtrGolS genes, except PtrGolS9, changed in response to abiotic stress in gene- and stress-type-specific manners. Moreover, short- and long-term stress treatments revealed that induction of PtrGolS by salt stress is obvious only in the early period of treatment (within 24 h), whereas water-deficit stress treatments continued to upregulate PtrGolS gene expression after two days of treatment, in addition to induction within 24 h of treatment. Consistent with these expression patterns, the galactinol content in leaves increased after four days of drought stress, but not under salt stress. Our findings suggest divergent roles for PtrGolS genes in abiotic stress responses in poplars.     

花烟草NaERF1基因的克隆及在非生物胁迫下的表达模式分析

AP2/ERF类转录因子,是植物所特有的最大的一类转录因子家族,在植物的生长发育过程中,扮演着重要的角色。探究花烟草ERF转录因子的生理功能,为花烟草抵御逆境的分子机制研究提供借鉴。采用同源克隆的方法进行基因克隆。通过对花烟草进行非生物胁迫,运用qPCR的方法进行基因表达模式分析。从花烟草(Nicotiana alata)中克隆了一个属于ERF家族的基因NaERF1。该基因的开放阅读框全长为819 bp,编码了272个氨基酸。生物信息学分析结果表明,该基因编码的蛋白分子量为30.7 kD,等电点为6.07;具有AP2/ERF类转录因子家族典型的保守结构域;该基因主要定位于细胞质内,并含有多个磷酸化位点。同源性分析的结果显示,NaERF1基因与茄科植物的ERF同源性较高,并且与普通烟草的ERF亲缘关系最近。NaERF1基因的表达具有组织表达特异性,花中表达量最高,茎中次之,根和叶中表达量较低。同时,在高盐、干旱、低温、ABA、低钾及H2O2等非生物胁迫下,NaERF1的表达呈现5种模式。其中,对低钾及ABA胁迫的响应强烈。NaERF1基因属于AP2/ERF类转录因子,可能广泛参与了花烟草包括非生物胁迫响应在内的众多生理过程。