ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110012, India.
Division of Plant Physiology, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110012, India.
Mol Biol Rep. 2023 Jun;50(6):5509-5517. doi: 10.1007/s11033-023-08347-y. Epub 2023 Apr 29.
Crop improvement for tolerance to various biotic and abiotic stress factors necessitates understanding the key gene regulatory mechanisms. One such mechanism of gene regulation involves changes in cytosine methylation at the gene body and flanking regulatory sequences. The present study was undertaken to identify genes which might be potential targets of drought-induced DNA methylation in chickpea.
Two chickpea genotypes, which contrast for drought tolerance, were subjected to drought stress conditions and their differential response was studied by analysing different morpho-physiological traits. Utilizing the in-house, high throughput sequencing data, the SQUAMOSA promoter-binding (SBP) protein-like (SPL) transcription factor genes were identified to be differentially methylated and expressed amongst the two genotypes, in response to drought stress. The methylation status of one of these genes was examined and validated through bisulfite PCR (BS-PCR). The identified genes could be possible homologs to known epialleles and can therefore serve as potential epialleles which can be utilized for crop improvement in chickpea.
The SPL TF genes are potential targets of epigenetic regulation in response to drought stress in chickpea. Since these are TFs, they might play important roles in controlling the expression of other genes, thus contributing to differential drought response of the two genotypes.
为了提高作物对各种生物和非生物胁迫因素的耐受性，需要了解关键的基因调控机制。基因调控的一种机制涉及到基因体和侧翼调控序列中胞嘧啶甲基化的变化。本研究旨在鉴定可能是鹰嘴豆干旱诱导 DNA 甲基化的潜在靶基因。
对两个耐旱性不同的鹰嘴豆基因型进行干旱胁迫处理，并通过分析不同的形态生理特性来研究其差异响应。利用内部高通量测序数据，鉴定出 SQUAMOSA 启动子结合（SBP）蛋白样（SPL）转录因子基因在两个基因型中对干旱胁迫的差异甲基化和表达。通过亚硫酸氢盐 PCR（BS-PCR）对其中一个基因的甲基化状态进行了检测和验证。这些鉴定出的基因可能是已知表观等位基因的同源物，因此可以作为潜在的表观等位基因，用于鹰嘴豆的作物改良。
SPL TF 基因是鹰嘴豆响应干旱胁迫的表观遗传调控的潜在靶基因。由于这些是 TF，它们可能在控制其他基因的表达中发挥重要作用，从而导致两个基因型对干旱的不同响应。
