State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Engineering Research Center of Grassland Industry, Ministry of Education, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, P.R. China.
DNA Cell Biol. 2019 Oct;38(10):1056-1068. doi: 10.1089/dna.2019.4881. Epub 2019 Aug 12.
The (APETALA2/ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR) transcription factor represents one of the largest plant-specific transcriptional regulators in plants. plays important roles in the regulation of various developmental processes and acts as a mediator in plant external stress responses. However, the research of the gene family is still limited in alfalfa ( L.), one of the most important forage legume species in the world. In the present study, a total of 159 genes were identified, and the phylogenetic reconstruction, classification, conserved motifs, signal peptide prediction, and expression patterns under salt, drought, and low-temperature stresses of these genes were comprehensively analyzed. The genes family in alfalfa could be classified into 10 groups and predicted to be strongly homologous. Based on the structure and functions relationships, the III and IV subfamilies were more likely to play functions in abiotic stresses and 18 genes were selected for further quantitative real-time PCR validation in different stresses treatment. The results showed that all these genes were upregulated under three stresses except . This study identified the possibility of abiotic tolerance candidate genes playing various roles in stress resistance at the whole-genome level, which would provide primary understanding for exploring -mediated tolerance in alfalfa.
AP2/ERF 转录因子是植物中最大的一类特定于转录的调节因子之一。它在调节各种发育过程中发挥重要作用，并作为植物对外界应激反应的中介。然而，在世界上最重要的饲料豆科植物之一紫花苜蓿（Medicago sativa L.）中，对基因家族的研究仍然有限。在本研究中，共鉴定出 159 个基因，并对这些基因进行了系统发育重建、分类、保守基序、信号肽预测以及盐、干旱和低温胁迫下的表达模式综合分析。苜蓿中的基因家族可以分为 10 组，并预测具有很强的同源性。基于结构和功能关系，第三和第四亚家族更有可能在非生物胁迫中发挥作用，并选择了 18 个基因进行进一步的定量实时 PCR 验证在不同胁迫处理。结果表明，除了之外，所有这些基因在三种胁迫下均上调表达。本研究在全基因组水平上确定了具有非生物耐受性候选基因的可能性，这些基因在应激反应中发挥各种作用，为探索苜蓿中基因介导的耐受性提供了初步认识。
