Abstract
Actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF) is a small class of actin-binding proteins that regulates the dynamics of actin in cells. Moreover, it is well known that the plant ADF family plays key roles in growth, development and defense-related functions. Results: Thirteen maize (Zea mays L., ZmADFs) ADF genes were identified using Hidden Markov Model. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the 36 identified ADF genes in Physcomitrella patens, Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa japonica, and Zea mays were clustered into five groups. Four pairs of segmental genes were found in the maize ADF gene family. The tissue-specific expression of ZmADFs and OsADFs was analyzed using microarray data obtained from the Maize and Rice eFP Browsers. Five ZmADFs (ZmADF1/2/7/12/13) from group V exhibited specifically high expression in tassel, pollen, and anther. The expression patterns of 13 ZmADFs in seedlings under five abiotic stresses were analyzed using qRT-PCR, and we found that the ADFs mainly responded to heat, salt, drought, and ABA. Conclusions: In our study, we identified ADF genes in maize and analyzed the gene structure and phylogenetic relationships. The results of expression analysis demonstrated that the expression level of ADF genes was diverse in various tissues and different stimuli, including abiotic and phytohormone stresses, indicating their different roles in plant growth, development, and response to external stimulus. This report extends our knowledge to understand the function of ADF genes in maize.
Highlights
In eukaryotes, actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF) is conserved and performs an essential function in actin dynamics which is important for cell motility, development, differentiation, signal transduction cytokinesis, and maintenance of eukaryotic cell surface structure [1–3]
13 ADF-H domain-containing genes (ZmADF1-ZmADF13) were identified in this study, the number of ADF genes identified in maize (13) was similar to Arabidopsis (11) and rice (11)
The molecular weight varied from 14.38 to 20.04 kDa and all studied ZmADF genes were below zero, which indicated that the 13 ZmADF proteins were all hydrophilic
Summary
Actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF) is conserved and performs an essential function in actin dynamics which is important for cell motility, development, differentiation, signal transduction cytokinesis, and maintenance of eukaryotic cell surface structure [1–3]. There are only one or two ADF/cofilin genes in the genome of most non-plant organisms, whereas a large ADF gene family is formed in most plants, resulting in the differentiation of physiological functions between non-plant and plant organisms. The identification of whole-genome ADF gene family in many plants has been reported. There were 11 ADF genes in rice [7], 11 in Arabidopsis [8], 27 in banana [9], 14 in poplar [10], and 11 in tomato [11]. The phylogenetic analysis and expression profiling of higher-plant ADFs, such as Arabidopsis, rice, and tomato, has been reported, but not with the maize ADF gene family. Subclass III (AtADF5 and AtADF9) and subclass IV (AtADF6) exhibit universal expression in different tissues, but AtADF9 is more strongly expressed in root subapical region, trichomes, shoot apical meristem (SAM), and callus [8]. The expression of AtADF5 is limited to the root tip meristem [12]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
