The heterologous overexpression of VrCIPK5 in tobacco conferred enhanced drought tolerance by promoting proline accumulation, increasing antioxidant enzyme activities, accelerating stomatal closure, and upregulating downstream stress-responsive genes, thus alleviating reactive oxygen species overaccumulation and membrane lipid peroxidation.
Abstract
Calcineurin B-like protein-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs) act as core regulators in plant calcium (Ca2+) signaling pathways and mediate abiotic stress adaptation. Mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) is an economically important legume that is widely grown in arid and semi-arid regions; however, drought stress significantly reduces its yield and quality. Despite this, genome-wide identification and functional analysis of the CIPK gene family have not been reported in mung bean, limiting our understanding of drought-resistance mechanisms and stress-tolerant variety breeding. In this study, 23 VrCIPK genes were identified from the mung bean genome, which were unevenly distributed across 6 chromosomes, with the remaining genes located on scaffolds. Phylogenetic analysis classified the VrCIPK family into five groups (A–E), characterized by high structural conservation of the N-terminal kinase and the C-terminal NAF/FISL regulatory domains. Gene Ontology annotation further indicated their conserved involvement in protein phosphorylation and calcium signal transduction. Collinearity analysis revealed that CIPK genes in mung bean and other species have relatively conserved evolutionary patterns. Segmental duplication contributed to VrCIPK gene family expansion, and most duplicated gene pairs underwent purifying selection during evolution. Gene structure and motif analyses showed that VrCIPK genes within the same group shared conserved structural features. Cis-acting element profiling revealed abundant hormone- and stress-responsive elements in VrCIPK promoters, indicating diverse transcriptional regulatory potential. Transcriptomics analysis and quantitative real-time PCR demonstrated that VrCIPK5 was significantly induced under drought stress. The heterologous overexpression of VrCIPK5 in tobacco conferred enhanced drought tolerance by promoting proline accumulation, increasing antioxidant enzyme (superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase) activities, accelerating stomatal closure, and upregulating downstream stress-responsive genes (NtSOD, NtCAT, NtP5CS1, NtLEA5, and NtRD29A), thus alleviating reactive oxygen species overaccumulation and membrane lipid peroxidation. Collectively, these findings fill the research gap in the genome-wide identification and functional analysis of the CIPK gene family in mung bean and provide key genetic resources and theoretical support for breeding drought-resistant mung bean varieties.
Introduction Drought is a major abiotic stress limiting the growth and ecological adaptation of tropical and subtropical trees. The SnRK2 gene family is a core regulator in ABA signaling and drought response pathways. However, genome-wide identification and functional characterization of the SnRK2 family remain unclear in Bombax ceiba, a typical drought-tolerant tropical pioneer tree species with important ecological and economic value. Methods We performed genome-wide identification of the BcSnRK2 gene family using bioinformatics approaches. Phylogenetic relationships, gene structures, conserved motifs, cis-acting elements, chromosomal localization, and protein structures were systematically analyzed. Subcellular localization was verified by transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana. Tissue-specific expression and drought-responsive patterns were detected by qRT-PCR under 10% PEG6000 treatment. Protein–protein interaction networks were predicted using the STRING database. Results A total of nine BcSnRK2 genes were identified and unevenly distributed across eight chromosomes. All BcSnRK2 proteins contained conserved kinase domains and shared a highly conserved exon–intron structure. Promoter regions harbored abundant ABA-responsive and stress-related cis-elements. BcSnRK2 genes exhibited distinct tissue-specific expression profiles. All genes were significantly induced by drought stress in a tissue- and time-dependent manner, with BcSnRK2.9 and BcSnRK2.7 showing strong and sustained activation in shoots and BcSnRK2.7 and BcSnRK2.3 responding prominently in roots. BcSnRK2 proteins were localized in the cytoplasm, plasma membrane, and nucleus, and were predicted to interact with core components of the ABA signaling pathway. Discussion The BcSnRK2 family exhibits evolutionary conservation and functional divergence in Bombax ceiba. The compact size of the SnRK2 family, conserved structural features, and distinct tissue-specific drought response patterns are consistent with a streamlined stress signaling system that may contribute to the ecological adaptation of Bombax ceiba in seasonally dry tropical environments, although formal evolutionary analyses are required to establish adaptive significance. This study provides valuable gene resources for drought resistance breeding of woody plants and advances the understanding of stress signaling mechanisms in tropical trees.
Yu-Mei Shi, Zhifang Zhang, Ruoxin He et al.· Frontiers in Plant Science· 0 citations
The results of STRING-based computer simulations predicting protein–protein interactions indicate that PpTCP3 and PpTCP5 interact with key hormone pathways and stress-related transcription factors (TFs), including auxin signaling and strigolactone signaling.
Yanfu Jing, Yang Yu, Zimin Xiao et al.· International Journal of Mol...· 0 citations
First comprehensive characterization of the RLCK gene family in sugarcane is presented, elucidating its evolutionary features, expression dynamics and functional roles, and providing compelling evidence that ScRLCK53 modulates salt tolerance through activation of the JA signaling pathway.
Shichao Wang, Pingping Lin, Deng Wu et al.· Plant physiology and biochem...· 0 citations
An evolutionary and transcriptional atlas of the wheat TaBSK family is delivered and candidate genes for functional validation and molecular breeding toward salt-tolerant wheat varieties are provided.
Yongtao Zhao, Jun-Sen Wang, Zhong-Zhou Zhang et al.· Current Issues in Molecular...· 0 citations
The TIFY gene family comprises plant-specific transcriptional regulators central to jasmonic acid (JA) signaling and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Despite the economic importance of the banana (Musa spp.), the TIFY family remains largely uncharacterized in this crop. Here, we conducted a genome-wide identification and comprehensive analysis of the MaTIFY gene family in Musa acuminata. A total of 47 MaTIFY genes were identified, distributed across all 11 chromosomes. Phylogenetic analysis classified these into four subfamilies (TIFY, ZIZ/ZML, PPD, and JAZ), and conserved motif and domain analyses revealed a core TIFY domain architecture with subfamily-specific structural features. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment and cis-acting regulatory element analyses suggested potential involvement in JA-mediated signaling, defense response, and hormone cross-talk. Expression profiling under drought, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense race 4 (Foc 4), and cold stress revealed distinct transcriptional responses, with MaTIFY5, MaTIFY16, MaTIFY20, MaTIFY26, and MaTIFY30 exhibiting enhanced induction in resistant cultivars compared to their susceptible counterparts. Functional characterization of MaTIFY20 confirmed its significant upregulation under drought stress and its ability to confer enhanced osmotic tolerance when heterologously expressed in yeast. These findings provide novel insights into the evolutionary dynamics and stress-responsive functions of banana TIFY genes and identify candidate targets for molecular breeding to improve abiotic and biotic stress resilience in banana.
Sheraz Ahmad, Huimin Song, Hangbo Cao et al.· International Journal of Mol...· 0 citations
It is demonstrated that heterologous expression of TksPLATZ1, TksPLATZ2 and TksPLATZ7 localize to the cell nucleus and act as transcriptional activators and repressors, respectively, which enhances the tolerance of Arabidopsis to salt and osmotic stress.
Jinxian Chen, Wenhao Wu, Ming-Hua Luo et al.· Phytochemistry· 0 citations
