Genome-Wide Identification of Stress-Associated Proteins (SAPs) Encoding A20/AN1 Zinc Finger in Almond (Prunus dulcis) and Their Differential Expression during Fruit Development.

Sidra Fatima,Alvina Gul,Muhammad Faraz Bhatti,Zeeshan Zafar

doi:10.3390/plants11010117

Sidra Fatima, Alvina Gul + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11010117

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Abstract

Stress-associated proteins (SAPs) are zinc finger proteins involved in the regulation of various stresses in a variety of plant species. A total of nine PdSAP genes were identified in Prunus dulcis. Phylogenetic and synteny analyses were performed to analyze the homology and evolutionary relationship of PdSAP genes. The functions of PdSAP genes were assessed by further analyses, including cis-regulatory elements, gene duplication, gene ontology, gene structure, subcellular localization, and motif pattern. This study found that PdSAP genes were unevenly distributed on chromosomes 2, 3, 6, and 7. Phylogenetic analysis of PdSAP genes with Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa suggested that six subgroups have a similar pattern of AN1 and A20 domains in each subgroup. PdSAP genes lacked duplicated blocks. The majority of PdSAP genes were localized in the nucleus region. Three hormonal and five stress cis-regulatory elements were found in the upstream promoter region of the PdSAP gene family. RNA-seq analysis revealed differential gene expression of PdSAP genes at days 12, 17, 22, 27, 32, and 37 of fruitlet development after flowering. This study identifies the SAP genes in P. dulcis and also provides insights into the expression of PdSAP genes in abnormal fruitlets with diapause atrophic growth at various developmental stages.

Highlights

This study carried out identification and a comprehensive RNA sequence analysis of stress-associated protein (SAP) genes in normal and abnormal fruitlets in Prunus dulcis
Their evolutionary relationships were established with Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa
Based on genome sequence accessibility and phylogenetic analysis, nine SAP genes were identified in P. dulcis, containing A20/AN1 zinc finger domains unevenly distributed on four chromosomes

Summary

Introduction

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Biotic and abiotic stresses adversely affect plants’ growth and productivity [1,2]. These stresses result in great damage to global crops by reducing their average yield [3]. To eliminate the effects of biotic and abiotic stresses, plants have developed several mechanisms, including the responsive action of stress-regulating genes for the plant’s growth and maintenance [4]. Plants mediate the early stress response by the regulation of phytohormones, such as jasmonic acid (JA), abscisic acid (ABA), and salicylic acid (SA) [5,6]

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