Abstract
WRKY proteins are plant specific transcription factors involved in various developmental and physiological processes, especially in biotic and abiotic stress resistance. Although previous studies suggested that WRKY proteins in soybean (Glycine max var. Williams 82) involved in both abiotic and biotic stress responses, the global information of WRKY proteins in the latest version of soybean genome (Wm82.a2v1) and their response to dehydration and salt stress have not been reported. In this study, we identified 176 GmWRKY proteins from soybean Wm82.a2v1 genome. These proteins could be classified into three groups, namely group I (32 proteins), group II (120 proteins), and group III (24 proteins). Our results showed that most GmWRKY genes were located on Chromosome 6, while chromosome 11, 12, and 20 contained the least number of this gene family. More GmWRKY genes were distributed on the ends of chromosomes to compare with other regions. The cis-acting elements analysis suggested that GmWRKY genes were transcriptionally regulated upon dehydration and salt stress. RNA-seq data analysis indicated that three GmWRKY genes responded negatively to dehydration, and 12 genes positively responded to salt stress at 1, 6, and 12 h, respectively. We confirmed by qRT-PCR that the expression of GmWRKY47 and GmWRKY 58 genes was decreased upon dehydration, and the expression of GmWRKY92, 144 and 165 genes was increased under salt treatment.
Highlights
WRKY transcription factors were first identified from plant species and were thought to be plant specific (Eulgem et al, 2000; Rushton et al, 2010)
GmWRKY proteins could be divided into three groups based on the number of WRKY domains and the type of zincfinger structure
We found that more GmWRKY genes were located at both ends of chromosomes (Figure 1)
Summary
WRKY transcription factors were first identified from plant species and were thought to be plant specific (Eulgem et al, 2000; Rushton et al, 2010). Group II WRKY proteins which could be divided into five subgroups (IIa–IIe), WRKY Genes in Soybean contained a single WRKY domain and a CX4−5CX22−23HXH zinc-finger motif (Eulgem et al, 2000; Rushton et al, 2010). Group III WRKY proteins had a single WRKY domain and a CX7CX23HXC zinc-finger motif (Eulgem et al, 2000; Rushton et al, 2010)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
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
