State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China.
Key Laboratory of Bamboo Science and Technology, Zhejiang A&F University, Ministry of Education, Hangzhou 311300, China.
Genes (Basel). 2024 Feb 21;15(3):267. doi: 10.3390/genes15030267.
, an economically significant evergreen tree species exclusive to subtropical China, is highly valued for its seeds. However, the seed development process of remains relatively unexplored. Given the pivotal role WRKY transcription factors (TFs) play in coordinating diverse cellular and biological activities, as well as crucial signaling pathways essential for plant growth and development, and the lack of comprehensive investigation into their specific functions in , our study investigated its genome and successfully isolated 78 genes and categorized them into three distinct clades. A conserved motif analysis unveiled the presence of the characteristic WRKY domain in each identified TgWRKY protein. The examination of gene structures revealed variable numbers of introns (ranging from zero to eight) and exons (ranging from one to nine) among genes. A chromosomal distribution analysis demonstrated the presence of TgWRKY across eight chromosomes in . Tissue-specific expression profiling unveiled distinctive patterns of these 78 genes across various tissues. Remarkably, a co-expression analysis integrating RNA-seq data and morphological assessments pinpointed the pronounced expression of during the developmental stages of seeds. Moreover, a KEGG enrichment analysis, focusing on genes correlated with expression, suggested its potential involvement in processes such as protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum, starch, and sucrose metabolism, thereby modulating seed development in . These findings not only underscore the pivotal role of genes in seed development but also pave the way for innovative breeding strategies.
香榧，一种经济价值极高的中国特有的亚热带常绿树种，其种子备受重视。然而，香榧的种子发育过程仍相对未知。鉴于 WRKY 转录因子（TFs）在协调多种细胞和生物活动以及植物生长和发育所必需的关键信号通路方面发挥着关键作用，并且在香榧中尚未全面研究其特定功能，我们的研究调查了其基因组，并成功分离出 78 个基因，并将它们分为三个不同的分支。保守基序分析揭示了每个鉴定的 TgWRKY 蛋白都存在特征性的 WRKY 结构域。对基因结构的检查表明，基因中存在可变数目的内含子（零到八个）和外显子（一到九个）。染色体分布分析表明 TgWRKY 存在于 中的八个染色体上。组织特异性表达谱分析揭示了这 78 个基因在不同组织中的独特表达模式。值得注意的是，一个整合 RNA-seq 数据和形态评估的共表达分析指出，在香榧种子发育的各个阶段，基因表达显著。此外，一个针对与基因表达相关的基因的 KEGG 富集分析表明，其可能参与了内质网中蛋白质加工、淀粉和蔗糖代谢等过程，从而调节了香榧种子的发育。这些发现不仅强调了基因在香榧种子发育中的关键作用，也为创新的育种策略铺平了道路。
