Abstract
The precise regulation of gene expression is required for the determination of cell fate, differentiation, and developmental programs in eukaryotes. The Polycomb Group (PcG) genes are the key transcriptional regulators that constitute the repressive system, with two major protein complexes, Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1) and Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2). Previous studies have demonstrated the significance of these proteins in regulation of normal growth and development processes. However, the role of PcG in adaptation of crops to abiotic stress is still not well understood. The present study aimed to a comprehensive genome-wide identification of the PcG gene family in one of the economically important staple crops, Oryza sativa. Here, a total of 14 PcG genes have been identified, which were distributed over eight chromosomes. Protein structure analysis revealed that both the complexes have distinct domain and motifs that are conserved within the complexes. In silico promoter analysis showed that PcG gene promoters have abundance of abiotic stress-responsive elements. RNA-seq based expression analysis revealed that PcG genes are differentially expressed in different tissues and responded variably in different environmental stress. Validation of gene expression by qRT-PCR showed that most of the genes were upregulated at 1-h time point in shoot tissue and at 24-h time point in root tissue under the drought and salinity stress conditions. These findings provide important and extensive information on the PcG family of O. sativa, which will pave the path for understanding their role in stress signaling in plants.
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The study was supported by funding from South Asian University, New Delhi, to AM for consumables and the infrastructure. NY received financial assistance from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.
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The idea, concept, and design of experiments, analysis, interpretation of data, fund, and project management were done by AM. NY has done the bioinformatics analyses and wet laboratory experiments. NY drafted the original manuscript. NY, AM, PN, and RR critically analyzed the data and revised the manuscript. AK helped in retrieving the RNA-seq data. AR helped in designing and initiating few experiments.
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Fig. S1 Figure showing the tertiary structure of all the PcG gene family members in Oryza sativa. (PNG 2974 kb)
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Fig. S2 Figure showing the distribution of conserved motif of a PRC1 members and b PRC2 members in Arabidopsis thaliana. (PNG 1137 kb)
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Yadav, N., Nagar, P., Rakhi, R. et al. Transcript profiling of Polycomb gene family in Oryza sativa indicates their abiotic stress-specific response. Funct Integr Genomics 22, 1211–1227 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10142-022-00906-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10142-022-00906-z