Abstract
BackgroundPlants have developed various sophisticated mechanisms to cope up with climate extremes and different stress conditions, especially by involving specific transcription factors (TFs). The members of the WRKY TF family are well known for their role in plant development, phytohormone signaling and developing resistance against biotic or abiotic stresses. In this study, we performed a genome-wide screening to identify and analyze the WRKY TFs in pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum; PgWRKY), which is one of the most widely grown cereal crops in the semi-arid regions.ResultsA total number of 97 putative PgWRKY proteins were identified and classified into three major Groups (I-III) based on the presence of WRKY DNA binding domain and zinc-finger motif structures. Members of Group II have been further subdivided into five subgroups (IIa-IIe) based on the phylogenetic analysis. In-silico analysis of PgWRKYs revealed the presence of various cis-regulatory elements in their promoter region like ABRE, DRE, ERE, EIRE, Dof, AUXRR, G-box, etc., suggesting their probable involvement in growth, development and stress responses of pearl millet. Chromosomal mapping evidenced uneven distribution of identified 97 PgWRKY genes across all the seven chromosomes of pearl millet. Synteny analysis of PgWRKYs established their orthologous and paralogous relationship among the WRKY gene family of Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa and Setaria italica. Gene ontology (GO) annotation functionally categorized these PgWRKYs under cellular components, molecular functions and biological processes. Further, the differential expression pattern of PgWRKYs was noticed in different tissues (leaf, stem, root) and under both drought and salt stress conditions. The expression pattern of PgWRKY33, PgWRKY62 and PgWRKY65 indicates their probable involvement in both dehydration and salinity stress responses in pearl millet.ConclusionFunctional characterization of identified PgWRKYs can be useful in delineating their role behind the natural stress tolerance of pearl millet against harsh environmental conditions. Further, these PgWRKYs can be employed in genome editing for millet crop improvement.
Highlights
Plants have developed various sophisticated mechanisms to cope up with climate extremes and different stress conditions, especially by involving specific transcription factors (TFs)
Identification of the WRKY transcription factors in P. glaucum The HMMSCAN search resulted in the identification of 97 WRKY (PgWRKY1 to PgWRKY97) transcription factors from the complete proteome database of P. glaucum
We have reported a total number of 97 Pennisetum glaucum WRKY (PgWRKY) (PgWRKY1 to PgWRKY97) by complete genome screening of P. glaucum
Summary
Plants have developed various sophisticated mechanisms to cope up with climate extremes and different stress conditions, especially by involving specific transcription factors (TFs). Cenchrus americanus, is one of the most widely grown crop in the arid and semi-arid tropical regions of Africa and South-east Asia including India It serves as one of the staple food for millions of poor people and is being used extensively for fodder and fuel [4]. Pearl millet contains 8–19% protein, low starch, high fiber and essential micronutrients such as iron and zinc [6, 7] Due to these characteristics, worldwide attention is focused on pearl millet cultivation to cope up with climate change and food insecurity [8]
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