Journal Article

A Comprehensive Transcriptome-Wide Identification and Screening of WRKY Gene Family Engaged in Abiotic Stress in Glycyrrhiza glabra

Manzoor, Malik Muzafar, Vishwakarma, Ram A., Sharma, Deepak, Goyal, Pooja, Dhar, Manoj K., Gupta, Suphla

2020

Overview

The study reports 147 full-length WRKY genes based on the transcriptome analysis of Glycyrrhiza genus ( G. glabra and G. uralensis ). Additional motifs in G. glabra included DivIVA (GgWRKY20) and SerS Superfamily (GgWRKY21) at the C-terminal, and Coat family motifs (GgWRKY55) at the N-terminal of the proteins, while Exo70 exo cyst complex subunit of 338 amino acid (GuWRKY9) was present at the N-terminal of G. uralensis only. Plant Zn cluster super-family domain (17 WRKYs) and bZIP domain (2 WRKYs) were common between the two species. Based on the number of WRKY domains, sequence alignment and phylogenesis, the study identified GuWRKY27 comprising of 3 WRKY domains in G. uralensis and a new subgroup-IIf (10 members), having novel zinc finger pattern (C-X 4 -C-X 22 -HXH) in G. glabra . Multiple WRKY binding domains (1–11) were identified in the promoter regions of the GgWRKY genes indicating strong interacting network between the WRKY proteins. Tissue-specific expression of 25 GgWRKYs , under normal and treated conditions, revealed 11 of the 18 induction factor triggered response corroborating to response observed in AtWRKYs . The study identified auxin-responsive GgWRKY 55 & GgWRKY 38; GA 3 responsive GgWRKYs 15&59 in roots and GgWRKYs 8, 20, 38, 57 &58 in the shoots of the treated plant. GgWRKYs induced under various stresses included GgWRKY 33 (cold), GgWRKY 4 (senescence), GgWRKYs 2, 28 & 33 (salinity) and GgWRKY 40 (wounding). Overall, 23 GgWRKYs responded to abiotic stress, and 17 WRKYs were induced by hormonal signals. Of them 13 WRKYs responded to both suggesting inter-connection between hormone signalling and stress response. The present study will help in understanding the transcriptional reprogramming, protein-protein interaction and cross-regulation during stress and other physiological processes in the plant.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Publishing Group
• Subject: 38 / 38/39 / 38/91 / 631/449/1659 / 631/449/2661/2665 / Abiotic stress / Amino Acid Sequence / Amino acids / Conserved Sequence / Gene expression / Genes, Plant / Glycyrrhiza - genetics / Glycyrrhiza - metabolism / Glycyrrhiza uralensis - genetics / Humanities and Social Sciences / multidisciplinary / Multigene Family / Nucleotide sequence / Phylogeny / Plant Proteins - genetics / Promoter Regions, Genetic / Protein interaction / Protein Interaction Maps / Science / Science (multidisciplinary) / Senescence / Sequence Alignment / Shoots / Stress response / Stress, Physiological - genetics / Transcription / Transcription Factors - genetics / Transcriptome / Wounding / Zinc finger proteins