Haiyang Jiang

CCCH-Type Zinc Finger Family in Maize: Genome-Wide Identification, Classification and Expression Profiling under Abscisic Acid and Drought Treatments

Background CCCH-type zinc finger proteins comprise a large protein family. Increasing evidence suggests that members of this family are RNA-binding proteins with regulatory functions in mRNA processing. Compared with those in animals, functions of CCCH-type zinc finger proteins involved in plant growth and development are poorly understood. Methodology/Principal Findings Here, we performed a genome-wide survey of CCCH-type zinc finger genes in maize (Zea mays L.) by describing the gene structure, phylogenetic relationships and chromosomal location of each family member. Promoter sequences and expression profiles of putative stress-responsive members were also investigated. A total of 68 CCCH genes (ZmC3H1-68) were identified in maize and divided into seven groups by phylogenetic analysis. These 68 genes were found to be unevenly distributed on 10 chromosomes with 15 segmental duplication events, suggesting that segmental duplication played a major role in expansion of the maize CCCH family. The Ka/Ks ratios suggested that the duplicated genes of the CCCH family mainly experienced purifying selection with limited functional divergence after duplication events. Twelve maize CCCH genes grouped with other known stress-responsive genes from Arabidopsis were found to contain putative stress-responsive cis-elements in their promoter regions. Seven of these genes chosen for further quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed differential expression patterns among five representative maize tissues and over time in response to abscisic acid and drought treatments. Conclusions The results presented in this study provide basic information on maize CCCH proteins and form the foundation for future functional studies of these proteins, especially for those members of which may play important roles in response to abiotic stresses.

Systematic Analysis of Sequences and Expression Patterns of Drought-Responsive Members of the HD-Zip Gene Family in Maize

Background Members of the homeodomain-leucine zipper (HD-Zip) gene family encode transcription factors that are unique to plants and have diverse functions in plant growth and development such as various stress responses, organ formation and vascular development. Although systematic characterization of this family has been carried out in Arabidopsis and rice, little is known about HD-Zip genes in maize (Zea mays L.). Methods and Findings In this study, we described the identification and structural characterization of HD-Zip genes in the maize genome. A complete set of 55 HD-Zip genes (Zmhdz1-55) were identified in the maize genome using Blast search tools and categorized into four classes (HD-Zip I-IV) based on phylogeny. Chromosomal location of these genes revealed that they are distributed unevenly across all 10 chromosomes. Segmental duplication contributed largely to the expansion of the maize HD-ZIP gene family, while tandem duplication was only responsible for the amplification of the HD-Zip II genes. Furthermore, most of the maize HD-Zip I genes were found to contain an overabundance of stress-related cis-elements in their promoter sequences. The expression levels of the 17 HD-Zip I genes under drought stress were also investigated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). All of the 17 maize HD-ZIP I genes were found to be regulated by drought stress, and the duplicated genes within a sister pair exhibited the similar expression patterns, suggesting their conserved functions during the process of evolution. Conclusions Our results reveal a comprehensive overview of the maize HD-Zip gene family and provide the first step towards the selection of Zmhdz genes for cloning and functional research to uncover their roles in maize growth and development.

A novel maize homeodomain-leucine zipper (HD-Zip) I gene, Zmhdz10, positively regulates drought and salt tolerance in both rice and Arabidopsis.

Increasing evidence suggests that homeodomain-leucine zipper I (HD-Zip) I transcription factors play important roles in abiotic stress responses, but no HD-Zip I proteins have been reported in maize. Here, a drought-induced HD-Zip I gene, Zmhdz10, was isolated from maize and characterized for its role in stress responses. Real-time quantitative PCR showed that expression of Zmhdz10 was also induced by salt stress and ABA. Transient expression of Zmhdz10-green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion proteins in onion cells showed a nuclear localization of Zmhdz10. Yeast hybrid assays demonstrated that Zmhdz10 has transactivation and DNA-binding activity in yeast cells. Overexpression of Zmhdz10 in rice led to enhanced tolerance to drought and salt stresses and increased sensitivity to ABA. Moreover, Zmhdz10 transgenic plants had lower relative electrolyte leakage (REL), lower malondialdehyde (MDA) and increased proline content relative to wild-type plants under stress conditions, which may contribute to enhanced stress tolerance. Zmhdz10 transgenic Arabidopsis plants also exhibited enhanced tolerance to drought and salt stresses that was concomitant with altered expression of stress/ABA-responsive genes, including Δ1-Pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase 1 (P5CS1), Responsive to dehydration 22 (RD22), Responsive to dehydration 29B (RD29B) and ABA-insensitive 1 (ABI1). Taken together, these results suggest that Zmhdz10 functions as a transcriptional regulator that can positively regulate drought and salt tolerance in plants through an ABA-dependent signaling pathway.

Genome-wide analysis of the auxin response factor (ARF) gene family in maize (Zea mays)

Auxin response factors (ARFs) are an important family involved in auxin-mediated response through specific binding to auxin response elements (AuxREs). A few members of the ARF family have been functionally characterized in Arabidopsis, rice (Oryza sativa), Poplar (Populous trichocarpa). However, little is known about ARF genes in maize (Zea mays). We performed a comprehensive bioinformatics analysis of the maize ARF gene family including analysis of the genome sequence, conserved domains, chromosomal locations, phylogenetic relationships, gene duplication, and expression profiles. 35 ZmARF genes were identified and categorized into four groups (Class I, II, III, and IV). In addition, a segmental ZmARF duplication event was shown to play an important role in maize ARF gene expansion. 7 ZmARF genes had no expression in specific tissues we obtained, but presented in mixed tissues according to the NCBI EST database, respectively. These studies have laid the theoretical foundation for further functional verification of these ZmARF genes.

Systematic analysis and comparison of nucleotide-binding site disease resistance genes in maize

Nucleotide‐binding site (NBS) disease resistance genes play an integral role in defending plants from a range of pathogens and insect pests. Consequently, a number of recent studies have focused on NBS‐encoding genes in molecular disease resistance breeding programmes for several important plant species. Little information, however, has been reported with an emphasis on systematic analysis and a comparison of NBS‐encoding genes in maize. In the present study, 109 NBS‐encoding genes were identified based on the complete genome sequence of maize (Zea mays cv. B73), classified as four different subgroups, and then characterized according to chromosomal locations, gene duplications, structural diversity and conserved protein motifs. Subsequent phylogenetic comparisons indicated that several maize NBS‐encoding genes possessed high similarity to function‐known NBS‐encoding genes, and revealed the evolutionary relationships of NBS‐encoding genes in maize comparede to those in other model plants. Analyses of the physical locations and duplications of NBS‐encoding genes showed that gene duplication events of disease resistance genes were lower in maize than in other model plants, which may have led to an increase in the functional diversity of the maize NBS‐encoding genes. Various expression patterns of maize NBS‐encoding genes in different tissues were observed using an expressed‐sequence tags database and, alternatively, after southern leaf blight infection or the application of exogenous salicylic acid. The results reported in the present study contribute to an improved understanding of the NBS‐encoding gene family in maize.

Overexpression of a maize WRKY58 gene enhances drought and salt tolerance in transgenic rice

WRKY transcription factors (TFs) are reported to play crucial roles in the processes of plant growth and development, defense regulation and stress responses. In this study, a WRKY group IId TF, designated ZmWRKY58, was isolated from maize (Zea mays L.). Expression pattern analysis revealed that ZmWRKY58 was induced by drought, salt and abscisic acid treatments. Subcellular localization experiments in onion epidermal cells showed the presence of ZmWRKY58 in the nucleus. Overexpression of ZmWRKY58 in rice resulted in delayed germination and inhibited post-germination development. Further investigation showed that ZmWRKY58 overexpressing transgenic plants had higher survival rates and relative water contents, but lower malonaldehyde contents and relative electrical leakage compared with wild-type plants, following drought and salt stress treatments, suggesting that overexpression of ZmWRKY58 leads to enhanced tolerance to drought and salt stresses in transgenic rice. Additionally, yeast two-hybrid assay showed that ZmWRKY58 could interact with ZmCaM2, suggesting that ZmWRKY58 may function as a calmodulin binding protein. Taken together, these results suggest that ZmWRKY58 may act as a positive regulator involved in the drought and salt stress responses.

Genome-wide analysis of the heat shock transcription factors in Populus trichocarpa and Medicago truncatula.

Research has provided substantial evidences that heat shock proteins (HSPs) play essential roles in extreme physiological conditions. Heat shock transcription factors (HSFs) are important HSPs regulators, but their functions are poorly understood, particularly in Populus and Medicago. In this study, a comprehensive bioinformatics analysis of the HSFs was performed in Populustrichocarpa and Medicagotruncatula. Twenty-eight Populus HSFs and 16 Medicago HSFs were identified, and comparative analyzes of the two plants were carried out subsequently. HSFs were divided into three different classes and they were diverse and complicated transcription factors. The results of semi-quantitative RT-PCR in Populus suggested six genes (PtHSF-03, PtHSF-13, PtHSF-15, PtHSF-21, PtHSF-22 and PtHSF-23) were markedly increased by heat stress. The results presented here provide an important clue for cloning, expression and functional studies of the HSFs in Populus and Medicago.

Downregulation of caffeoyl-CoA O-methyltransferase (CCoAOMT) by RNA interference leads to reduced lignin production in maize straw

Lignin is a major cell wall component of vascular plants that provides mechanical strength and hydrophobicity to vascular vessels. However, the presence of lignin limits the effective use of crop straw in many agroindustrial processes. Here, we generated transgenic maize plants in which the expression of a lignin biosynthetic gene encoding CCoAOMT, a key enzyme involved in the lignin biosynthesis pathway was downregulated by RNA interference (RNAi). RNAi of CCoAOMT led to significantly downregulated expression of this gene in transgenic maize compared with WT plants. These transgenic plants exhibited a 22.4% decrease in Klason lignin content and a 23.3% increase in cellulose content compared with WT plants, which may reflect compensatory regulation of lignin and cellulose deposition. We also measured the lignin monomer composition of the RNAi plants by GC-MS and determined that transgenic plants had a 57.08% higher S/G ratio than WT plants. In addition, histological staining of lignin with Wiesner reagent produced slightly more coloration in the xylem and sclerenchyma than WT plants. These results provide a foundation for breeding maize with low-lignin content and reveal novel insights about lignin regulation via genetic manipulation of CCoAOMT expression.

Genome duplication and gene loss affect the evolution of heat shock transcription factor genes in legumes.

Whole-genome duplication events (polyploidy events) and gene loss events have played important roles in the evolution of legumes. Here we show that the vast majority of Hsf gene duplications resulted from whole genome duplication events rather than tandem duplication, and significant differences in gene retention exist between species. By searching for intraspecies gene colinearity (microsynteny) and dating the age distributions of duplicated genes, we found that genome duplications accounted for 42 of 46 Hsf-containing segments in Glycine max, while paired segments were rarely identified in Lotus japonicas, Medicago truncatula and Cajanus cajan. However, by comparing interspecies microsynteny, we determined that the great majority of Hsf-containing segments in Lotus japonicas, Medicago truncatula and Cajanus cajan show extensive conservation with the duplicated regions of Glycine max. These segments formed 17 groups of orthologous segments. These results suggest that these regions shared ancient genome duplication with Hsf genes in Glycine max, but more than half of the copies of these genes were lost. On the other hand, the Glycine max Hsf gene family retained approximately 75% and 84% of duplicated genes produced from the ancient genome duplication and recent Glycine-specific genome duplication, respectively. Continuous purifying selection has played a key role in the maintenance of Hsf genes in Glycine max. Expression analysis of the Hsf genes in Lotus japonicus revealed their putative involvement in multiple tissue-/developmental stages and responses to various abiotic stimuli. This study traces the evolution of Hsf genes in legume species and demonstrates that the rates of gene gain and loss are far from equilibrium in different species.

Identification and characterization of NBS-encoding disease resistance genes in Lotus japonicus

Nucleotide-binding site (NBS) disease resistance genes play an important role in defending plants from a range of pathogens and insect pests. Consequently, NBS-encoding genes have been the focus of a number of recent studies in molecular disease resistance breeding programs. However, little is known about NBS-encoding genes in Lotus japonicus. In this study, a full set of disease resistance (R) candidate genes encoding NBS from the complete genome of L. japonicus was identified and characterized using structural diversity, chromosomal locations, conserved protein motifs, gene duplications, and phylogenetic relationships. Distinguished by N-terminal motifs and leucine-rich repeat motifs (LRRs), 92 regular NBS genes of 158 NBS-coding sequences were classified into seven types: CC-NBS-LRR, TIR-NBS-LRR, NBS-LRR, CC-NBS, TIR-NBS, NBS, and NBS-TIR. Phylogenetic reconstruction of NBS-coding sequences revealed many NBS gene lineages, dissimilar from results for Arabidopsis but similar to results from research on rice. Conserved motif structures were also analyzed to clarify their distribution in NBS-encoding gene sequences. Moreover, analysis of the physical locations and duplications of NBS genes showed that gene duplication events of disease resistance genes were lower in L. japonicus than in rice and Arabidopsis, which may contribute to the relatively fewer NBS genes in L. japonicus. Sixty-three NBS-encoding genes with clear conserved domain character were selected to check their gene expression levels by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. The results indicated that 53 of the genes were most likely to be acting as the active genes, and exogenous application of salicylic acid improved expression of most of the R genes.