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Basic Leucine Zipper Family in Barley: Genome-Wide Characterization of Members and Expression Analysis

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Abstract

The basic leucine zipper (bZIP) family is one of the largest and most diverse transcription factors in eukaryotes participating in many essential plant processes. We identified 141 bZIP proteins encoded by 89 genes from the Hordeum vulgare genome. HvbZIPs were classified into 11 groups based on their DNA-binding motif. Amino acid sequence alignment of the HvbZIPs basic-hinge regions revealed some highly conserved residues within each group. The leucine zipper heptads were analyzed predicting their dimerization properties. 34 conserved motifs were identified outside the bZIP domain. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that major diversification within the bZIP family predated the monocot/dicot divergence, although intra-species duplication and parallel evolution seems to be occurred afterward. Localization of HvbZIPs on the barley chromosomes revealed that different groups have been distributed on seven chromosomes of barley. Six types of intron pattern were detected within the basic-hinge regions. Most of the detected cis-elements in the promoter and UTR sequences were involved in seed development or abiotic stress response. Microarray data analysis revealed differential expression pattern of HvbZIPs in response to ABA treatment, drought, and cold stresses and during barley grain development and germination. This information would be helpful for functional characterization of bZIP transcription factors in barley.

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Abbreviations

aa:

Amino acids

ABA:

Abscisic acid

ABF:

ABRE-binding factors

ABRE:

ABA-responsive elements

AREB:

ABRE-binding proteins

bZIP:

Basic leucine zipper

CV:

Coefficient of variation

DRE:

Dehydration-responsive element

IBSC:

International barley sequencing consortium

Leu:

Leucine

MLS:

Mean of log-signal values

nt:

Nucleotide

ORF:

Open reading frame

P0:

Phase 0

P2:

Phase 2

TF:

Transcription factor

uATG:

Upstream ATG

uORF:

Upstream ORF

UTR:

Untranslated region

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran (ABRII). The authors are grateful to Faezeh Tamimi for her technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Systems Biology Department, Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran (ABRII), Seed and Plant Improvement Institutes Campus, Mahdasht Road, P. O. Box: 31535-1897, Karaj, Iran

    Ehsan Pourabed, Farzan Ghane Golmohamadi, Peyman Soleymani Monfared, Seyed Morteza Razavi & Zahra-Sadat Shobbar

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  1. Ehsan Pourabed
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  2. Farzan Ghane Golmohamadi
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  3. Peyman Soleymani Monfared
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  4. Seyed Morteza Razavi
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Correspondence to Zahra-Sadat Shobbar.

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Ehsan Pourabed and Farzan Ghane Golmohamadi contributed equally to the article.

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Pourabed, E., Ghane Golmohamadi, F., Soleymani Monfared, P. et al. Basic Leucine Zipper Family in Barley: Genome-Wide Characterization of Members and Expression Analysis. Mol Biotechnol 57, 12–26 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12033-014-9797-2

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