Dataset Information

Genome-wide analysis of maize OSCA family members and their involvement in drought stress.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Worldwide cultivation of maize is often impacted negatively by drought stress. Hyperosmolality-gated calcium-permeable channels (OSCA) have been characterized as osmosensors in Arabidopsis. However, the involvement of members of the maize OSCA (ZmOSCA) gene family in response to drought stress is unknown. It is furthermore unclear which ZmOSCA gene plays a major role in genetic improvement of drought tolerance in Maize.

Methods

We predicted the protein domain structure and transmembrane regions by using the NCBI Conserved Domain Database database and TMHMM server separately. The phylogeny tree was built by Mega7. We used the mixed linear model in TASSEL to perform the family-based association analysis.

Results

In this report, 12 ZmOSCA genes were uncovered in the maize genome by a genome-wide survey and analyzed systematically to reveal their synteny and phylogenetic relationship with the genomes of rice, maize, and sorghum. These analyses indicated a relatively conserved evolutionary history of the ZmOSCA gene family. Protein domain and transmembrane analysis indicated that most of the 12 ZmOSCAs shared similar structures with their homologs. The result of differential expression analysis under drought at various stages, as well as the expression profiles in 15 tissues, revealed a functional divergence of ZmOSCA genes. Notably, the expression level of ZmOSCA4.1 being up-regulated in both seedlings and adult leaves. Notably, the association analysis between genetic variations in these genes and drought tolerance was detected. Significant associations between genetic variation in ZmOSCA4.1 and drought tolerance were found at the seedling stage. Our report provides a detailed analysis of the ZmOSCAs in the maize genome. These findings will contribute to future studies on the functional characterization of ZmOSCA proteins in response to water deficit stress, as well as understanding the mechanism of genetic variation in drought tolerance in maize.

SUBMITTER: Ding S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6462396 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundMung bean (Vigna radiata) is a warm-season legume crop and belongs to the papilionoid subfamily of the Fabaceae family. China is the leading producer of mung bean in the world. Mung bean has significant economic and health benefits and is a promising species with broad adaptation ability and high tolerance to environmental stresses. OSCA (hyperosmolality-gated calcium-permeable channel) gene family members play an important role in the modulation of hypertonic stress, such as drought and salinity. However, genome-wide analysis of the OSCA gene family has not been conducted in mung bean.ResultsWe identified a total of 13 OSCA genes in the mung bean genome and named them according to their homology with AtOSCAs. All the OSCAs were phylogenetically split into four clades. Phylogenetic relationship and synteny analyses showed that the VrOSCAs in mung bean and soybean shared a relatively conserved evolutionary history. In addition, three duplicated VrOSCA gene pairs were identified, and the duplicated VrOSCAs gene pairs mainly underwent purifying selection pressure during evolution. Protein domain, motif and transmembrane analyses indicated that most of the VrOSCAs shared similar structures with their homologs. The expression pattern showed that except for VrOSCA2.1, the other 12 VrOSCAs were upregulated under treatment with ABA, PEG and NaCl, among which VrOSCA1.4 showed the largest increased expression levels. The duplicated genes VrOSCA2.1/VrOSCA2.2 showed divergent expression, which might have resulted in functionalization during subsequent evolution. The expression profiles under ABA, PEG and NaCl stress revealed a functional divergence of VrOSCA genes, which agreed with the analysis of cis-acting regulatory elements in the promoter regions of VrOSCA genes.ConclusionsCollectively, the study provided a systematic analysis of the VrOSCA gene family in mung bean. Our results establish an important foundation for functional and evolutionary analysis of VrOSCAs and identify genes for further investigation of their ability to confer abiotic stress tolerance in mung bean.

Project description:NAC proteins are plant-specific transcription factors (TFs). Although they play a pivotal role in regulating distinct biological processes, TFs in maize are yet to be investigated comprehensively. Within the maize genome, we identified 152 putative NAC domain-encoding genes (ZmNACs), including eight membrane-bound members, by systematic sequence analysis and physically mapped them onto ten chromosomes of maize. In silico analysis of the ZmNACs and comparison with similar genes in other plants such as Arabidopsis, rice, and soybean, revealed a similar NAC sequence architecture. Phylogenetically, the ZmNACs were arranged into six distinct subgroups (I-VI) possessing conserved motifs. Phylogenetic analysis using stress-related NAC TFs from Arabidopsis, rice, and soybean as seeding sequences identified 24 of the 152 ZmNACs (all from Group II) as putative stress-responsive genes, including one dehydration-responsive ZmSNAC1 gene reported earlier. One drought-tolerant genotype (HKI577) and one susceptible genotype (PC13T-3) were used for studying the expression pattern of the NAC genes during drought stress. qRT-PCR based expression profiles of 11 genes predicted to be related to stress confirmed strong differential gene expression during drought stress. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that ZmNAC18, ZmNAC51, ZmNAC145, and ZmNAC72, which were up-regulated in the tolerant genotype and down-regulated in the susceptible genotype, belonged to the same group to which also belong other drought-responsive genes, namely SNAC1, OsNAC6, ANAC019, and ANAC055, which act as a transcriptional activator and are strongly induced under stress from various abiotic sources. Differentially expressed ZmNAC genes, alone or in combination with each other or with other type(s) of TFs, may control the general cellular machinery and regulate stress-responsive downstream genes. Alternatively, they may serve as a platform to regulate a broad set of genes, which are subsequently fine-tuned by specific regulators. This genome-wide identification and expression profiling opens new avenues for systematic functional analysis of new members of the NAC gene family, which may be exploited in developing lines that are better adapted to drought.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Reception of and response to exogenous and endogenous osmotic changes is important to sustain plant growth and development, as well as reproductive formation. Hyperosmolality-gated calcium-permeable channels (OSCA) were first characterised as an osmosensor in Arabidopsis and are involved in the perception of extracellular changes to trigger hyperosmolality-induced [Ca(2+)]i increases (OICI). To explore the potential biological functions of OSCAs in rice, we performed a bioinformatics and expression analysis of the OsOSCA gene family. RESULTS:A total of 11 OsOSCA genes were identified from the genome database of Oryza sativa L. Japonica. Based on their sequence composition and phylogenetic relationship, the OsOSCA family was classified into four clades. Gene and protein structure analysis indicated that the 11 OsOSCAs shared similar structures with their homologs in Oryza sativa L. ssp. Indica, Oryza glaberrima, and Oryza brachyantha. Multiple sequence alignment analysis revealed a conserved DUF221 domain in these members, in which the first three TMs were conserved, while the others were not. The expression profiles of OsOSCA genes were analysed at different stages of vegetative growth, reproductive development, and under osmotic-associated abiotic stresses. We found that four and six OsOSCA genes showed a clear correlation between the expression profile and osmotic changes during caryopsis development and seed imbibition, respectively. Orchestrated transcription of three OsOSCAs was strongly associated with the circadian clock. Moreover, osmotic-related abiotic stress differentially induced the expression of 10 genes. CONCLUSION:The entire OSCA family is characterised by the presence of a conserved DUF221 domain, which functions as an osmotic-sensing calcium channel. The phylogenetic tree of OSCA genes showed that two subspecies of cultivated rice, Oryza sativa L. ssp. Japonica and Oryza sativa L. ssp. Indica, are more closely related than wild rice Oryza glaberrima, while Oryza brachyantha was less closely related. OsOSCA expression is organ- and tissue-specific and regulated by different osmotic-related abiotic stresses in rice. These findings will facilitate further research in this gene family and provide potential target genes for generation of genetically modified osmotic-stress-resistant plants.