Abstract
The GLABROUS1 enhancer-binding protein (GeBP) gene family encodes a typical transcription factor containing a noncanonical Leucine (Leu-)-zipper motif that plays an essential role in regulating plant growth and development, as well as responding to various stresses. However, limited information on the GeBP gene family is available in the case of the Gramineae crops. Here, 125 GeBP genes from nine Gramineae crops species were phylogenetically classified into four clades using bioinformatics analysis. Evolutionary analyses showed that whole genome duplication (WGD) and segmental duplication play important roles in the expansion of the GeBP gene family. The various gene structures and protein motifs revealed that the GeBP genes play diverse functions in plants. In addition, the expression profile analysis of the GeBP genes showed that 13 genes expressed in all tested organs and stages of development in rice, with especially high levels of expression in the leaf, palea, and lemma. Furthermore, the hormone- and metal-induced expression patterns showed that the expression levels of most genes were affected by various biotic stresses, implying that the GeBP genes had an important function in response to various biotic stresses. Furthermore, we confirmed that OsGeBP11 and OsGeBP12 were localized to the nucleus through transient expression in the rice protoplast, indicating that GeBPs function as transcription factors to regulate the expression of downstream genes. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the origin and evolutionary history of the GeBP genes family in Gramineae, and will be helpful in a further functional characterization of the GeBP genes.
Highlights
Transcription factors (TFs) are key regulators in plants, which play crucial roles in various growth and developmental processes, as well as in response to abiotic stresses [1,2,3,4]
We found that B. distachyon (Bd), S. bicolor (Sb), S. italica (Si), and Z. mays (Zm) had more GLABROUS1 enhancer-binding protein (GeBP) gene members compared to H. vulgare (Hv), O. sativa ssp. indica (Oi), O. sativa ssp. japonica (Oj), O. rufipogon (Or), and T. aestivum (Ta), implying a gene expansion of the GeBP family among different species
All clades showed a clear expansion of gene numbers, while Clade II and Clade IV had more genes than Clade I and Clade III, and Clade III was absent in Oi and Ta
Summary
Transcription factors (TFs) are key regulators in plants, which play crucial roles in various growth and developmental processes, as well as in response to abiotic stresses [1,2,3,4]. Previous studies have systematically identified 129,288 TFs from 83 species, and more than 2000 TFs were identified in rice [5]. Merely 60 TF families in plants had been reported and identified [6]. Knowledge about some important yet unknown transcription factor families remains elusive. The GLABROUS1 enhancer-binding protein (GeBP) gene, first identified and isolated from Arabidopsis in 2003, was one of the new plant-specific transcription factor families whose members share a central DNA-binding domain [7]. Some members of the GeBP gene family have been identified in Arabidopsis, their biological functions have not been characterized
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