Zheng Xian-Bo, Wu Yao, Wang Hao, Song Shang-Wei, Bai Tuan-Hui, Jiao Jian, Song Chun-Hui, Pang Hong-Guang, Wang Miao-Miao
College of Horticulture, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China.
Front Genet. 2022 Jan 17;12:783482. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2021.783482. eCollection 2021.
Zinc finger-homeodomain (ZF-HD) transcription factors play an important role in the regulation of plant growth and development, as well as the regulation of stress responses. Studies on the ZF-HD family genes have been conducted in many plants, however, the characteristics of this family in apple () fruit remains to be poorly understood. In this study, we identified nineteen family genes in apple at the whole-genome scale, which were unevenly located on ten chromosomes. These genes were phylogenetically divided into two subfamilies: zinc finger-homeodomain (ZHD) and MINI ZINC FINGER (MIF), and the ZHD subfamily was further classified into five groups (ZHDI-ZHDV). Analysis of the gene structures showed that most genes lack introns. Gene expression analysis indicated that nine selected genes were differentially responsive to 1-MCP (1-methylcyclopropene) treatment during the postharvest storage of "Qinguan" apple fruit. Moreover, the transcripts of six genes were further validated in "Golden Delicious" apple fruit, and five genes () were significantly repressed and one gene () was slightly induced by ethylene treatment. These results indicated that these six genes may involve in the regulation of ethylene induced ripening process of postharvest apple fruit. These findings provide new clues for further functional investigation of genes, such as their roles in the regulation of fruit ripening.
锌指-同源异型域（ZF-HD）转录因子在植物生长发育调控以及应激反应调控中发挥着重要作用。许多植物都对ZF-HD家族基因进行了研究，然而，苹果（）果实中该家族的特征仍知之甚少。在本研究中，我们在全基因组范围内鉴定了苹果中的19个家族基因，它们不均匀地分布在10条染色体上。这些基因在系统发育上分为两个亚家族：锌指-同源异型域（ZHD）和小锌指（MIF），并且ZHD亚家族进一步分为五组（ZHDI-ZHDV）。基因结构分析表明，大多数基因缺乏内含子。基因表达分析表明，在“秦冠”苹果果实采后贮藏期间，9个选定的基因对1-甲基环丙烯（1-MCP）处理有不同的反应。此外，在“金冠”苹果果实中进一步验证了6个基因的转录本，乙烯处理显著抑制了5个基因（），并轻微诱导了1个基因（）。这些结果表明，这6个基因可能参与采后苹果果实乙烯诱导的成熟过程调控。这些发现为进一步研究基因的功能提供了新线索，例如它们在果实成熟调控中的作用。
