Zhang Bing, Liu Jianxiu
Department of Grassland Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China.
Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210014, China.
Plant Cell Rep. 2025 Mar 4;44(3):68. doi: 10.1007/s00299-025-03457-2.
Genome-wide analysis of CBL and CIPK gene family was conducted in bermudagrass while a functional role in stem growth angle regulation was established for CdCIPK29-A1 via the generation of molecularly modified Arabidopsis plants. Calcineurin B-like proteins (CBLs) and CBL-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs) are plant-specific Ca sensors and effectors which mediate diverse Ca signaling transduction pathways in plant growth, development, and stress responses. However, the functions of CBLs and CIPKs in bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L.), a widely planted warm-season turfgrass species with great economic value, remain poorly understood. In this study, a total of 33 CdCBL and 81 CdCIPK genes were identified in the bermudagrass genome, and were clustered in three and five groups according to their phylogenetic relationships, respectively. In line with their sequence divergence, different groups of CdCBL and CdCIPK genes exhibited different gene structures and expression patterns. Systematic yeast two-hybrid screening indicated that 27 CdCBL-CdCIPK complexes could be formed from 290 putative CdCBL and CdCIPK protein pairs. Among the CdCIPK proteins, CdCIPK29-A1 was found to interact with up to four CdCBL proteins. The CdCIPK29-A1 gene was preferentially expressed in the stolon internode of bermudagrass plants and the CdCIPK29-A1 protein was located to the cytoplasm. The expression of CdCIPK29-A1 in molecularly modified Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) plants further indicated that CdCIPK29-A1 could regulate the stem growth angle and gravitropism possibly through modulating the starch metabolism in stem endodermal cells. These results not only established a solid foundation to explore the Ca signaling transduction pathways in bermudagrass but also provided new insight into the function of CBL-CIPK complex in plant gravitropic response and stem growth angle regulation.
在狗牙根中对CBL和CIPK基因家族进行了全基因组分析，同时通过构建分子修饰的拟南芥植株，确定了CdCIPK29-A1在茎生长角度调控中的功能作用。类钙调神经磷酸酶B蛋白（CBLs）和CBL相互作用蛋白激酶（CIPKs）是植物特有的钙传感器和效应器，它们在植物生长、发育和应激反应中介导多种钙信号转导途径。然而，对于狗牙根（Cynodon dactylon L.）这种具有重要经济价值的广泛种植的暖季型草坪草，CBLs和CIPKs的功能仍知之甚少。在本研究中，在狗牙根基因组中总共鉴定出33个CdCBL基因和81个CdCIPK基因，它们分别根据系统发育关系聚类为3组和5组。与它们的序列差异一致，不同组的CdCBL和CdCIPK基因表现出不同的基因结构和表达模式。系统的酵母双杂交筛选表明，从290对假定的CdCBL和CdCIPK蛋白对中可以形成27个CdCBL-CdCIPK复合物。在CdCIPK蛋白中，发现CdCIPK29-A1与多达4个CdCBL蛋白相互作用。CdCIPK29-A1基因在狗牙根植株的匍匐茎节间优先表达，且CdCIPK29-A1蛋白定位于细胞质中。CdCIPK29-A1在分子修饰的拟南芥植株中的表达进一步表明，CdCIPK29-A1可能通过调节茎内皮层细胞中的淀粉代谢来调控茎的生长角度和向重力性。这些结果不仅为探索狗牙根中的钙信号转导途径奠定了坚实基础，也为CBL-CIPK复合物在植物向重力性反应和茎生长角度调控中的功能提供了新的见解。
