Cheng Miao, Hu Hanbing, Chen Rui, He Ling, Wang Shanshan, Zheng Yuling, Yadav Jiten, Elansary Hosam O, Jaswal Nisha, Bhanot Deepak, Zeng Changli, Liu Xiaoyun
Hubei Engineering Research Center for Protection and Utilization of Special Biological Resources in the Hanjiang River Basin, College of Life Science, Jianghan University, Wuhan, 430056, China.
Department of Chemistry, University Centre of Research and Development, Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab, India.
BMC Plant Biol. 2025 Jun 5;25(1):767. doi: 10.1186/s12870-025-06633-4.
Small peptides of the CIF family act as signaling molecules and participate in important signaling pathways, playing crucial roles in the processes of plant development and the environmental response. However, the CIF family has not been identified in the allopolyploid Brassica napus.
This study identified 16 BnCIFs coding genes in Brassica napus, classified into three phylogenetic subfamilies and four types (CIF1/2, CIF3, CIF4, TWS1) based on Arabidopsis thaliana homologs. Chromosomal distribution analysis revealed their even spread across 11 chromosomes, primarily inherited from Brassica rapa with evolutionary contributions from chromosomal segment duplication, recombination, and polyploidization. Conserved features were observed in mature BnCIFs peptides (21/23 amino acids), including an N-terminal DY motif, two central prolines, and hydrophilic C-terminal residues. Promoter regions contained multiple hormone- and stress-responsive cis-elements, suggesting roles in diverse regulatory processes. Spatiotemporal expression profiling demonstrated tissue-specific expression patterns within each BnCIF type, alongside broad responsiveness to exogenous hormones and abiotic stress, implying functional diversification. qRT-PCR analysis of CIF1/2-type genes under nitrogen treatments revealed significant upregulation in roots under low nitrogen, indicating potential involvement in nitrogen absorption/transport. Comparative structural analysis of GSO1/2 receptor kinases between Brassica napus and Arabidopsis thaliana suggested possible BnCIFs-GSO1/2 binding interactions.
Our study comprehensively identified BnCIFs in Brassica napus from aspects such as gene structure, phylogeny, chromosomal location, duplication and recombination, expression patterns, structural characteristics, conservation of mature small peptides after cleavage and processing, and their ability to bind to receptors. The results lay a foundation for further functional analysis of BnCIFs. In the further, deciphering the regulatory network of CIF genes may provide new targets for optimizing root architecture and breeding for stress resistance in Brassica napus.
CIF家族的小肽作为信号分子，参与重要的信号通路，在植物发育和环境响应过程中发挥关键作用。然而，在异源多倍体甘蓝型油菜中尚未鉴定出CIF家族。
本研究在甘蓝型油菜中鉴定出16个BnCIF编码基因，根据拟南芥同源物分为三个系统发育亚家族和四种类型（CIF1/2、CIF3、CIF4、TWS1）。染色体分布分析表明它们均匀分布在11条染色体上，主要从白菜继承而来，染色体片段重复、重组和多倍化对其进化有贡献。在成熟的BnCIF肽（21/23个氨基酸）中观察到保守特征，包括N端DY基序、两个中心脯氨酸和亲水的C端残基。启动子区域包含多个激素和胁迫响应顺式元件，表明其在多种调控过程中的作用。时空表达谱显示每种BnCIF类型内的组织特异性表达模式，以及对外源激素和非生物胁迫的广泛响应，暗示功能多样化。氮处理下CIF1/2型基因的qRT-PCR分析表明，低氮条件下根中显著上调，表明其可能参与氮的吸收/运输。甘蓝型油菜和拟南芥之间GSO1/2受体激酶的比较结构分析表明可能存在BnCIFs-GSO1/2结合相互作用。
我们的研究从基因结构、系统发育、染色体定位、重复和重组、表达模式、结构特征、切割和加工后成熟小肽的保守性以及它们与受体结合的能力等方面全面鉴定了甘蓝型油菜中的BnCIFs。研究结果为进一步分析BnCIFs的功能奠定了基础。进一步而言，破译CIF基因的调控网络可能为优化甘蓝型油菜的根系结构和抗逆育种提供新的靶点。
