Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the WRKY genes in sugar beet ( Beta vulgaris L.) under alkaline stress

PeerJ

article

Guo-Qiang Wu¹  Zhi-Qiang Li¹  Han Cao¹  Jin-Long Wang¹ 

[1] School of Life Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology

关键词: Sugar beet;    WRKY transcription factor;    Alkaline stress;    Expression levels;    Bioinformatics;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.7817

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe WRKY transcription factor family plays crucial roles in many aspects of physiological processes and adaption to environment. Although the WRKY genes have been widely identified in various plant species, the structure and function of the WRKY family in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) remains unknown.MethodsIn the present study, the WRKY genes were identified from the sugar beet genome by bioinformatics. A phylogenetic tree was constructed by MEGA7.0. A distribution map of these genes was displayed by MapInspect 1.0. Furthermore, the exon-intron structure and the conserved motifs were predicted by GSDS 2.0 and MEME 5.0.5, respectively. Additionally, the expression levels of nine selected genes in shoots and roots of sugar beet seedlings exposed to alkaline stress were assayed by qRT-PCR.ResultsA total of 58 putative BvWRKY genes are identified in the sugar beet genome. The coding sequences of these genes ranged from 558 to 2,307 bp and molecular weights (MWs) varied from 21.3 to 84. The BvWRKY genes are clustered into three major groups I, II, and III, with 11, 40, and seven members, based on the primary amino acid sequences. The number of introns in the BvWRKY genes ranged from 1 to 5, with a majority of BvWRKY (27/58) containing three exons. All the BvWRKY genes have one or two conserved WRKY domains and zinc-finger structure. Moreover, the selected BvWRKY genes showed a variety of expression patterns in shoots and roots of seedlings under various concentrations of NaHCO3. Importantly, BvWRKY10 in shoots and BvWRKY16 in roots were remarkably up-regulated by alkaline stress. Taken together, our findings extend understandings of the BvWRKY genes family and provide useful information for subsequent research on their functions in sugar beet under alkaline stress.

【 授权许可】

CC BY