Abstract
As a subfamily of the APETALA 2/ethylene response element binding protein (AP2/EREBP) transcription factor superfamily, the ethylene response factor (ERF) is widely involved in the regulation of growth and response to various abiotic stresses in plants, and has been shown to be the main transcription factor regulating transcription of the genes related to hypoxia and waterlogging stress. In this study, three ThERF genes, with significant differences in expression profile in response to flooding stress, were identified from the transcriptomics data acquired from Taxodium hybrid ‘Zhongshanshan 406’ (T. mucronatum Tenore × T. distichum (L.) Rich) under waterlogging stress: ThERF15, ThERF39 and ThRAP2.3 (GenBank ID: KY463467, KY463468 and KY463470, respectively).The full-length cDNA of each of the three ERFs was obtained using the RACE (rapid amplification cDNA ends) method, and all three were intron-free. Multiple protein sequence alignments indicated that ThERF15, ThERF39 and ThRAP2.3 proteins all had only one AP2-ERF domain and belonged to the ERF subfamily. A transient gene expression assay demonstrated that ThERF15, ThERF39 and ThRAP2.3 were all localized to the nucleus. Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) revealed that the expression of ThERF15, ThERF39 and ThRAP2.3 exhibited significant differences, compared with the control, in response to two levels of flooding treatment (half-flooding or total-submergence) of ‘Zhongshanshan 406’. Quantification of ethylene concentration revealed that ethylene was more relevant to the level of expression than the period of flooding treatment. Based on the experimental results above, ThERF15, ThERF39 and ThRAP2.3 were identified as being related to the regulation of downstream flooding- responsive gene expression in ‘Zhongshanshan 406’. ThRAP2.3 is most likely to be a key downstream-response ERF gene to respond to the output of the ethylene signal generated by flooding stress.
Highlights
In China, there is great potential for the development of afforestation in water-logged areas, due to the abundant resources of shallows and wetlands
We identified and characterized three genes encoding ethylene response factor (ERF) proteins (ThERF15, ThERF39 and ThRAP2.3) from ‘Zhongshanshan 406’, and explored their expression profiles, in comparison with the ethylene-accumulation mechanism in waterlogging stress, hoping to enrich the genetic resources of the ERF transcription factors (TFs) in ‘Zhongshanshan 406’, and to make a preliminary exploration of the molecular mechanisms involved in the accumulation of ethylene at the protein level
Three ethylene-response factor genes, ThERF15, ThERF39 and ThRAP2.3, which belong to the ERF transcription factor family, were cloned from the copy DNA (cDNA) of ‘Zhongshanshan 406’, using the RACE technique
Summary
In China, there is great potential for the development of afforestation in water-logged areas, due to the abundant resources of shallows and wetlands. Further research on tree species with high waterlogging tolerance would be beneficial to improve the utilization of land resources in coastal areas and wetlands in China. Taxodium hybrid ‘Zhongshanshan406’, which is an elite clone selected from the hybrid Taxodium mucronatum ♀×Taxodium distichum ♂, developed by Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, showed great improvement in flooding tolerance, and has been widely planted in China (including Dianchi Lake in Yunnan Province, Chaohu City in Anhui Province, Three-Gorge reservoir in Chongqing Province) as a wetland species (Han & Shan, 2012; Ma et al, 2011). Related physiological and transcriptomics studies have demonstrated that ‘Zhongshanshan406’ is an ideal model plant with which to research the waterlogging characteristics of woody plants (Hua et al, 2017; Qi et al, 2014)
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 callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
