Abstract
Populus davidiana, native to Korea and central Asian countries, is a major contributor to the Korean forest cover. In the current study, using high-throughput RNA-seq mediated transcriptome analysis, we identified about 87 P. davidiana WRKY transcription factors (PopdaWRKY TFs) that showed differential expression to dehydration stress in both sensitive and tolerant cultivars. Our results suggested that, on average, most of the WRKY genes were upregulated in tolerant cultivars but downregulated in sensitive cultivars. Based on protein sequence alignment, P. davidiana WRKYs were classified into three major groups, I, II, III, and further subgroups. Phylogenetic analysis showed that WRKY TFs and their orthologs in Arabidopsis and rice were clustered together in the same subgroups, suggesting similar functions across species. Significant correlation was found among qRT-PCR and RNA-seq analysis. In vivo analysis using model plant Arabidopsis showed that atwrky62 (orthologous to Potri.016G137900) knockout mutants were significantly sensitive to dehydration possibly due to an inability to close their stomata under dehydration conditions. In addition, a concomitant decrease in expression of ABA biosynthetic genes was observed. The AtHK1 that regulates stomatal movement was also downregulated in atwrky62 compared to the wild type. Taken together, our findings suggest a regulatory role of PopdaWRKYs under dehydration stress.
Highlights
Plants, in their natural ecosystem, face several biotic and abiotic adversities
About 22 different P. davidiana cultivars were screened for sensitivity or tolerance toward dehydration stress based on symptoms development and H2O2 accumulation
Our results suggested that Seogwang15 was the most sensitive cultivar having highest accumulation of H2O2 after 20 and 30 min of stress followed by Junguk6-2 and Palgong1 (Figure 1A–D)
Summary
In their natural ecosystem, face several biotic and abiotic adversities For their survival, plants respond to these adverse conditions through a variety of adaptive measures that include a series of complex pathways fine-tuned to regulate cellular processes necessary for coping with the adverse conditions. Drought influences a wide range of physiological processes in plants [2] These include reduction in photosynthesis [3,4], stomatal closure [5,6], and wilting. Complex signaling cascades contribute to the response of plants to drought stress [13] These responses are mediated by changes in gene expression in different plant species, such as rice [14], maize [15], and pine [16]
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