The WRKY Transcription Factor Genes in Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) and Turkey Berry (Solanum torvum Sw.)

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Xu Yang²  Cao Deng¹  Yu Zhang²  Yufu Cheng²  Qiuyue Huo²  Linbao Xue² 

[1] DNA Stories Bioinformatics Services Co., Ltd., Chengdu 610000, China; E-Mail:;College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; E-Mails:

关键词: Solanum torvum sw.;    Solanum melongena L.;    WRKY transcriptional factor;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms16047608

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

WRKY transcription factors, which play critical roles in stress responses, have not been characterized in eggplant or its wild relative, turkey berry. The recent availability of RNA-sequencing data provides the opportunity to examine WRKY genes from a global perspective. We identified 50 and 62 WRKY genes in eggplant (SmelWRKYs) and turkey berry (StorWRKYs), respectively, all of which could be classified into three groups (I–III) based on the WRKY protein structure. The SmelWRKYs and StorWRKYs contain ~76% and ~95% of the number of WRKYs found in other sequenced asterid species, respectively. Positive selection analysis revealed that different selection constraints could have affected the evolution of these groups. Positively-selected sites were found in Groups IIc and III. Branch-specific selection pressure analysis indicated that most WRKY domains from SmelWRKYs and StorWRKYs are conserved and have evolved at low rates since their divergence. Comparison to homologous WRKY genes in Arabidopsis revealed several potential pathogen resistance-related SmelWRKYs and StorWRKYs, providing possible candidate genetic resources for improving stress tolerance in eggplant and probably other Solanaceae plants. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a genome-wide analyses of the SmelWRKYs and StorWRKYs.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.