College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.
BMC Plant Biol. 2024 Sep 30;24(1):898. doi: 10.1186/s12870-024-05588-2.
Medicago sativa, often referred to as the "king of forage", is prized for its high content of protein, minerals, carbohydrates, and digestible nutrients. However, various abiotic stresses can hinder its growth and development, ultimately resulting in reduced yield and quality, including water deficiency, high salinity, and low temperature. The ethylene-insensitive 3 (EIN3)/ethylene-insensitive 3-like (EIL) transcription factors are key regulators in the ethylene signaling pathway in plants, playing crucial roles in development and in the response to abiotic stresses. Research on the EIN3/EIL gene family has been reported for several species, but minimal information is available for M. sativa.
In this study, we identified 10 MsEIN3/EIL genes from the M. sativa genome (cv. Zhongmu No.1), which were classified into three clades based on phylogenetic analysis. The conserved structural domains of the MsEIN3/EIL genes include motifs 1, 2, 3, 4, and 9. Gene duplication analyses suggest that segmental duplication (SD) has played a significant role in the expansion of the MsEIN3/EIL gene family throughout evolution. Analysis of the cis-acting elements in the promoters of MsEIN3/EIL genes indicates their potential to respond to various hormones and environmental stresses. We conducted a further analysis of the tissue-specific expression of the MsEIN3/EIL genes and assessed the gene expression profiles of MsEIN3/EIL under various stresses using transcriptome data, including cold, drought, salt and abscisic acid treatments. The results showed that MsEIL1, MsEIL4, and MsEIL5 may act as positive regulatory factors involved in M. sativa's response to abiotic stress, providing important genetic resources for molecular design breeding.
This study investigated MsEIN3/EIL genes in M. sativa and identified three candidate transcription factors involved in the regulation of abiotic stresses. These findings will offer valuable insights into uncovering the molecular mechanisms underlying various stress responses in M. sativa.
紫花苜蓿，通常被称为“牧草之王”，因其富含蛋白质、矿物质、碳水化合物和可消化营养物质而备受推崇。然而，各种非生物胁迫会阻碍其生长和发育，最终导致产量和质量下降，包括水分不足、高盐度和低温。乙烯不敏感 3（EIN3）/乙烯不敏感 3 样（EIL）转录因子是植物中乙烯信号途径的关键调节因子，在发育和对非生物胁迫的响应中发挥着重要作用。已经有报道称，几种物种都存在 EIN3/EIL 基因家族的研究，但对于紫花苜蓿的信息却很少。
在这项研究中，我们从紫花苜蓿基因组（cv. Zhongmu No.1）中鉴定出 10 个 MsEIN3/EIL 基因，根据系统发育分析将其分为三个分支。MsEIN3/EIL 基因的保守结构域包括基序 1、2、3、4 和 9。基因复制分析表明，片段复制（SD）在整个进化过程中对 MsEIN3/EIL 基因家族的扩张起着重要作用。对 MsEIN3/EIL 基因启动子中顺式作用元件的分析表明，它们有可能对各种激素和环境胁迫做出反应。我们进一步分析了 MsEIN3/EIL 基因的组织特异性表达，并使用转录组数据评估了 MsEIN3/EIL 在各种胁迫下的基因表达谱，包括冷、干旱、盐和脱落酸处理。结果表明，MsEIL1、MsEIL4 和 MsEIL5 可能作为与紫花苜蓿对非生物胁迫反应相关的正调控因子发挥作用，为分子设计育种提供了重要的遗传资源。
本研究对紫花苜蓿的 MsEIN3/EIL 基因进行了研究，鉴定出了三个参与调控非生物胁迫的候选转录因子。这些发现将为揭示紫花苜蓿对各种胁迫反应的分子机制提供有价值的见解。
