Abstract
Nuclear factor Y (NF-Y) proteins are heterotrimeric transcription factors composed of NF-YA, NF-YB, and NF-YC subunits. These proteins play crucial roles in regulating plant growth, development, and abiotic and biotic stress responses. However, little is known about NF-Y genes in watermelon (Citrullus lanatus). The recent publication of the draft genome of watermelon has allowed for a more comprehensive analysis of NF-Y genes in this species. In this study, a total of 19 ClNF-Y genes, including 7 ClNF-YA, 8 ClNF-YB, and 4 ClNF-YC genes, were identified in the watermelon genome. Gene structure analysis suggested that exon/intron structures were conserved within subgroups but differed between subgroups in the ClNF-Y family. Chromosomal distribution mapping showed that the 19 ClNF-Y genes were unevenly located on nine chromosomes in the watermelon genome. Conserved domain analysis and multiple alignments demonstrated that ClNF-Y proteins share the same conserved domains as those in Arabidopsis and mouse. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Cucurbitaceae NF-Y proteins are more closely related to the Arabidopsis homologs than to the rice OsNF-Y proteins. Expression pattern analysis by quantitative real-time PCR indicated that all ClNF-Y genes were actively expressed in six evaluated watermelon tissues, with significantly higher expression in leaves and roots. Among the 19 ClNF-Y genes, the expression of 13, including 5 ClNF-YA, 5 ClNF-YB, and 3 ClNF-YC genes, significantly changed upon exposure to salt and drought stresses, suggesting that these 13 ClNF-Y genes might be involved in the response to salt and drought stresses in watermelon. Thus, this study provides a solid foundation for further functional analysis of NF-Y proteins during watermelon development and responses to salt and drought stresses. Furthermore, the results will be valuable for evolutionary analysis of the NF-Y family in Cucurbitaceae species.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Youth Chenguang Project of Science and Technology of Wuhan City (2014070404010230), Innovation Program of Wuhan Academy of Agricultural Science and Technology (CX201242). We thank professor Liu Shengyi in Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences for technical support. We thank all the colleagues in our laboratory for technical assistance. We thank American Journal Experts (https://www.aje.com) for careful editing of this manuscript.
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Yang, J., Zhu, J. & Yang, Y. Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of NF-Y Transcription Factor Families in Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus). J Plant Growth Regul 36, 590–607 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-017-9670-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-017-9670-1