Genome-wide identification of the MAPK gene family in chickpea and expression analysis during development and stress response

Abstract

Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are universal cell signaling components amongst all the eukaryotes and govern critical roles in growth, development and environment adaptation. However, very little information is available about the MAPK family in chickpea. Here, we provide a comprehensive functional analysis of the Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) family from Cicer arietinum including identification and nomenclature, chromosomal localization, phylogenetic relationships, and investigation of expression analysis in different tissues and in response to abiotic stresses. A genome wide study identified 19 MAPK genes in the chickpea genome, and phylogenetic analysis showed that MAPK family members could be classified into four distinct groups; genes within the same groups had almost similar exon–intron structures. All MAPK proteins in groups A, B and C had a Thr-Glu-Tyr (TEY) activation domain, whereas those in group D contained a Thr-Asp-Tyr (TDY) activation domain. We explored transcriptome data and performed Quantitative real-time (QPCR) analysis, which showed that all the MAPKs were expressed more in flowers and young pods and are rapidly regulated by abiotic stresses and ABA treatment. There was a strong correlation between promoter cis-elements and stress-induced MAPK gene expression. These results contribute to a comprehensive knowledge on MAPKs and their regulation and further assist in functional characterization of MAPK cascades in chickpea.