Abstract
KT/HAK/KUP (KUP) family is responsible for potassium ion (K+) transport, which plays a vital role in the response of plants to abiotic stress by maintaining osmotic balance. However, our understanding of the functions of the KUP family in the drought-resistant crop cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is limited. In the present study, 21 cassava KUP genes (MeKUPs) were identified and classified into four clusters based on phylogenetic relationships, conserved motifs, and gene structure analyses. Transcriptome analysis revealed the expression diversity of cassava KUPs in various tissues of three genotypes. Comparative transcriptome analysis showed that the activation of MeKUP genes by drought was more in roots than that in leaves of Arg7 and W14 genotypes, whereas less in roots than that in leaves of SC124 variety. These findings indicate that different cassava genotypes utilize various drought resistance mechanism mediated by KUP genes. Specific KUP genes showed broad upregulation after exposure to salt, osmotic, cold, H2O2, and abscisic acid (ABA) treatments. Taken together, this study provides insights into the KUP-mediated drought response of cassava at transcription levels and identifies candidate genes that may be utilized in improving crop tolerance to abiotic stress.
Highlights
Potassium ion (K+) is an essential nutrient for various plant physiological functions, such as maintaining intracellular osmolality, cell turgor, and pH homeostasis
Our analyses reveal the transcriptional control of MeKUP genes in different genotypes and candidate KUP genes that may be potentially utilized in improving crop resistance to abiotic stress
Twenty-one predicted fulllength MeKUPs were identified in the M. esculenta genome, which were designated as MeKUP1-MeKUP21 based on their phylogenetic relationship with Arabidopsis
Summary
Potassium ion (K+) is an essential nutrient for various plant physiological functions, such as maintaining intracellular osmolality, cell turgor, and pH homeostasis. Plant KT/HAK/KUPs have different K+ affinity and are involved in cation influx and efflux (Nieves-Cordones et al, 2016) These KT/HAK/KUPs contain 10–15 transmembrane domains with both N- and Ctermini at the intracellular side of the membrane, the latter being much longer (Gierth and Maser, 2007; Nieves-Cordones et al, 2016). 13 and 27 KT/HAK/KUP gene family members have been identified from Arabidopsis and rice, respectively (Rubio et al, 2000; Maser et al, 2001; Banuelos et al, 2002; Gupta et al, 2008). The expression of KT/HAK/KUP genes in other plant species supported their possible role in K+-mediated multiple biological processes, such as tissue development and abiotic stress responses (Su et al, 2002; Grabov, 2007; Song et al, 2015)
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