Characterization of the AP2/ERF Transcription Factor Family and Expression Profiling of DREB Subfamily Under Cold and Osmotic Stresses in

Overview

Journal Plants (Basel)

Date 2020 Apr 9

PMID 32260365

Citations 20

Authors

Shilin Cao

Ying Wang

Xuting Li

Fei Gao

Jinchao Feng

Yijun Zhou

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

APETALA2/ethylene-responsive factor (AP2/ERF) is one of the largest transcription factor (TF) families in plants, which play important roles in regulating plant growth, development, and response to environmental stresses. , an unusual evergreen broad-leaved shrub in the arid region in the northern temperate zone, demonstrates a strong tolerance to low temperature and drought stresses, and AP2/ERF transcription factors may contribute to the stress tolerance of . In the current study, 174 AP2/ERF family members were identified from the genome, and they were divided into five subfamilies, including 92 ERF members, 55 dehydration-responsive element binding (DREB) members, 24 AP2 members, 2 RAV members, and 1 Soloist member. Compared with the other leguminous plants, has more members of the DREB subfamily and the B1 group of the ERF subfamily, and gene expansion in the AP2/ERF family is primarily driven by tandem and segmental duplications. Promoter analysis showed that many stress-related -acting elements existed in promoter regions of the DREB genes, implying that MYB, ICE1, and WRKY transcription factors regulate the expression of DREB genes in . Expression profiling revealed that the majority of DREB members were responsive to osmotic and cold stresses, and several DREB genes such as and were highly induced by cold stress, which may play important roles in cold response in . This study provided important data for understanding the evolution and functions of AP2/ERF and DREB transcription factors in .

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