Search Results (5)

The Cerasus humilis, a perennial shrub belonging to the Cerasus genus, is native to China and holds significant ecological and economic importance. Growth regulation factors (GRF) are a family of transcription factors (TF) that play a key role in plant growth and development. This research entailed an in-depth examination of the GRF family in C. humilis, exploring its significance in the evolution of C. humilis. Twelve GRF genes were identified in the C. humilis genome. Named separately as ChGRF1-Chumilis15987.1, ChGRF2-Chumilis25207.1, ChGRF3-Chumilis26233.1, ChGRF4-Chumilis08578.3, ChGRF5-Chumilis18808.1, ChGRF6-Chumilis12052.1, ChGRF7-Chumilis10417.1, ChGRF8-Chumilis01608.1, ChGRF9-Chumilis14057.1, ChGRF10-Chumilis12169.1, ChGRF11-Chumilis14952.1, and ChGRF12-Chumilis07534.1. Phylogenetic analysis divided twelve GRF genes into five subfamilies. The gene structure, pattern, and cis-regulatory components of the GRF gene family were analyzed. In addition, according to collinearity analysis, there are six collinearity with Arabidopsis, twelve collinearity with Malus pumila, eight collinearity with Vitis vinifera, and three collinearity with Oryza sativa. Intraspecific collinearity analysis revealed the presence of three pairs of tandem repeat genes in the dwarf cherry genome. Identifying cis-acting elements revealed the prominent presence of gibberellin reaction elements, which are widely distributed in the promoter region. Cluster heatmap analysis showed that ChGRF2 had the highest expression levels in fruits and stems. ChGRF3 is highly expressed in red fruits of different colors, while ChGRF6 and ChGRF12 are highly expressed in yellow fruits. This study mainly focused on dwarf cherries treated with gibberellin. As the treatment time increased, the ChGRF gene showed different expression levels. ChGRF2, ChGRF3, ChGRF6, and ChGRF12 were up-regulated under gibberellin treatment. These genes all contain hormone-responsive cis-acting elements, indicating tht the ChGRF gene family plays a vital role under gibberellin treatment in C. humilis. The results laid the foundation for further research on the biological functions of the GRF genes in C. humilis. Full article

Although great progress has been made in transgenic technology, increasing the expression level and thus promising the expected phenotypes of exogenous genes in transgenic plants is still a crucial task for genetic transformation and crop engineering. Here, we conducted a comparative study of the enhancing efficiency of three putative translational enhancers, including Ω (natural leader from a plant virus), OsADH 5′ (natural leader from a plant gene), and ARC (active ribosomal RNA complementary), using the transient gene expression systems of Nicotiana benthamiana and Chirita pumila. We demonstrate that three tandem repeats of ARC (3 × ARC) are more efficient than other enhancers in expression. The enhancing efficiency of 6 × ARC is further increased, up to 130 times the expression level without the insertion of enhancers. We further evaluated the enhancing efficiency of 6 × ARC under agrobacterium-mediated transformation systems. In C. pumila, 6 × ARC significantly amplifies the phenotypic effect of CpCYC1 and CpCYC2 in repressing stamen development and yellow pigmentation. In Arabidopsis thaliana, 6 × ARC and the AtAP1 promoter work together to promote the accumulation of anthocyanin pigments in vegetative and reproductive organs. Most significantly, the fusion of 6 × ARC in a CpCYC1/2 transgenic system in C. pumila fully reveals that these genes have the complete function of repressing the yellow spots, displaying an advantage in manifesting the function of exogenous genes. This study highlights the application potential of the enhancer 6 × ARC in gene function research in plants. Full article

Sugar plays an important role in regulating the flowering of plants. However, studies of genes related to flowering regulation by the sugar pathway of Brassicaceae plants are scarce. In this study, we performed a comprehensive comparative genomics analysis of the flowering genes in the sugar pathway from seven members of the Brassicaceae, including: Arabidopsis thaliana, Arabidopsis lyrata, Astelia pumila, Camelina sativa, Brassica napus, Brassica oleracea, and Brassica rapa. We identified 105 flowering genes in the sugar pathway of these plants, and they were categorized into nine groups. Protein domain analysis demonstrated that the IDD8 showed striking structural variations in different Brassicaceae species. Selection pressure analysis revealed that sugar pathway genes related to flowering were subjected to strong purifying selection. Collinearity analysis showed that the identified flowering genes expanded to varying degrees, but SUS4 was absent from the genomes of Astelia pumila, Camelina sativa, Brassica napus, Brassica oleracea, and Brassica rapa. Tissue-specific expression of ApADG indicated functional differentiation. To sum up, genome-wide identification revealed the expansion, contraction, and diversity of flowering genes in the sugar pathway during Brassicaceae evolution. This study lays a foundation for further study on the evolutionary characteristics and potential biological functions of flowering genes in the sugar pathway of Brassicaceae. Full article

Ulmus pumila L. is an excellent afforestation and biofuel tree that produces high-quality wood, rich in starch. In addition, U. pumila is highly adaptable to adverse environmental conditions, which is conducive to its utilization for vegetating saline soils. However, little is known about the physiological responses and transcriptional regulatory network of U. pumila under salt stress. In this study, we exposed five main cultivars in saline–alkali land (Upu2, 5, 8, 11, and 12) to NaCl stress. Of the five cultivars assessed, Upu11 exhibited the highest salt resistance. Growth and biomass accumulation in Upu11 were promoted under low salt concentrations (<150 mM). However, after 3 months of continuous treatment with 150 mM NaCl, growth was inhibited, and photosynthesis declined. A transcriptome analysis conducted after 3 months of treatment detected 7009 differentially expressed unigenes (DEGs). The gene annotation indicated that these DEGs were mainly related to photosynthesis and carbon metabolism. Furthermore, PHOTOSYNTHETIC ELECTRON TRANSFERH (UpPETH), an important electron transporter in the photosynthetic electron transport chain, and UpWAXY, a key gene controlling amylose synthesis in the starch synthesis pathway, were identified as hub genes in the gene coexpression network. We identified 25 and 62 unigenes that may interact with PETH and WAXY, respectively. Overexpression of UpPETH and UpWAXY significantly increased the survival rates, net photosynthetic rates, biomass, and starch content of transgenic Arabidopsis plants under salt stress. Our findings clarify the physiological and transcriptional regulators that promote or inhibit growth under environmental stress. The identification of salt-responsive hub genes directly responsible for photosynthesis and starch synthesis or metabolism will provide targets for future genetic improvements. Full article

Malus sieversii is considered the progenitor of modern apple (Malus pumila) cultivars and to represent a valuable source of genetic diversity. Despite the importance of M. sieversii as a source of disease resistance, stress tolerance, and novel fruit traits, little is known about gene function and diversity in M. sieversii. Notably, a publicly annotated genome sequence for this species is not available. In the current study, the FOX (Full-length cDNA OvereXpressing) gene hunting system was used to construct a library of transgenic lines of Arabidopsis in which each transgenic line overexpresses a full-length gene obtained from a cDNA library of the PI619283 accession of M. sieversii. The cDNA library was constructed from mRNA obtained from bark tissues collected in late fall–early winter, a time at which many abiotic stress-adaptative genes are expressed. Over 4000 apple FOX Arabidopsis lines have been established from the pool of transgenic seeds and cDNA inserts corresponding to various Gene Ontology (GO) categories have been identified. A total of 160 inserts appear to be novel, with no or limited homology to M. pumila, Arabidopsis, or poplar. Over 1300 lines have also been screened for freezing resistance. The constructed library of transgenic lines provides a valuable genetic resource for exploring gene function and diversity in Malus sieversii. Notably, no such library of t-DNA lines currently exists for any Malus species. Full article