Abstract
Drought and salinity stress have become the major factors for crop yield loss in recent years. Drastically changing climatic conditions will only add to the adverse effects of such abiotic stresses in the future. Hence, it is necessary to conduct extensive research to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that regulate plants’ response to abiotic stress. Halophytes are plants that can grow in conditions of high salinity and are naturally resistant to a number of abiotic stresses. Avicennia marina is one such halophyte, which grows in tropical regions of the world in areas of high salinity. In this study, we have analysed the role of R2R3-MYB transcription factor gene family in response abiotic stress, as a number of transcription factors have been reported to have a definite role in stress manifestation. We identified 185 R2R3 MYB genes at genome-wide level in A. marina and classified them based on the presence of conserved motifs in the protein sequences. Cis-regulatory elements (CREs) present in the promoter region of these genes were analysed to identify stress responsive elements. Comparative homology with genes from other plants provided an insight into the evolutionary changes in the A. marinaR2R3 MYB genes. In silico expression analysis revealed 34 AmR2R3 MYB genes that were differentially regulated in the leaves and root tissue of A. marina subjected to drought and salinity stress. This study is the first report of the R2R3 MYB gene family in the A. marina genome and will help in selecting candidates for further functional characterisation.
Highlights
The phenomenon of global warming is responsible for drastic climate changes leading to an increase in the incidences of both biotic and abiotic stress conditions all over the world
We have systematically investigated the R2R3 MYB gene family in Avicennia marina at the whole genome level, their classification into different groups, chromosomal distribution, presence of conserved motifs, phylogenetic relationship, and sequence homology with members of Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa
Analysis of the chemical properties of A. marina R2R3 MYB proteins revealed that their length ranged from 100 bp to 1748 bp, molecular weight ranged from 11.46 kDa to 191.24 kDa, and their isoelectric point ranged from 4.65 to 10.28 (Table 1)
Summary
The phenomenon of global warming is responsible for drastic climate changes leading to an increase in the incidences of both biotic and abiotic stress conditions all over the world In light of this worldwide problem, sustenance and enhancement of agricultural productivity in future is a global concern since such extremes in climatic conditions adversely affect the development, growth and productivity of major agricultural systems. Transcription factors (TFs) have been reported to play an important role in plant growth, development, and stress response through self-regulation [4,5,6,7]. They regulate the expression of downstream target genes [5,6]. This problem is alleviated by contemporary high throughput analyses which have facilitated screening multiple gene families in silico to select the best candidate for further characterisation
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