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Transcript abundance patterns of Populus C-repeat binding factor2 orthologs and genetic association of PsCBF2 allelic variation with physiological and biochemical traits in response to abiotic stress

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Abstract

Main conclusion

We conducted a candidate gene-based approach to search for genetic associations between 10 SNPs in PsCBF2 and 10 abiotic stress-related traits.

The increasing incidence of abiotic stresses and the limitations of available treatments, particularly in trees, highlight the need to improve our understanding of the mechanisms of stress responses. In Arabidopsis, C-repeat binding factor 2 (CBF2) plays an important role in freezing tolerance and cold acclimation. Here, we isolated orthologs of CBF2 from five Populus species. Expression profiling revealed that the Populus CBF2s were preferentially induced in response to cold, with CBF2 transcript abundances ranging from 5.4- to 62-fold higher than in unstressed controls of the corresponding species. In addition, we used a candidate gene-based approach in Populus simonii Carr. to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in PsCBF2 associated with physiological and biochemical traits. PsCBF2 showed high nucleotide diversity (π T = 0.00549, θ w = 0.01406) and low average linkage disequilibrium (r 2 = 0.061). Association studies in 528 individuals of an association population showed that nine SNPs (false discovery rate Q < 0.10) and one haplotype (Q < 0.10) were significantly associated with differences in four physiological and biochemical traits (P < 0.005), with each marker explaining 1.31–5.87 % of the total variance in the corresponding trait. PsCBF2 transcript levels differed significantly in abundance among genotypic classes for most of the significant SNPs. Identification of these significant associations will help reveal the molecular basis of physiological differences and provide a starting point for marker-assisted selection for traits involved in stress tolerance in P. simonii.

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Abbreviations

ABA:

Abscisic acid

AP2/ERF:

APETALA2/ethylene-responsive element binding factor (ERF)

CAT:

Catalase

CBF:

C-repeat binding factor

DRE/CRT:

Dehydration-responsive element and C-repeat motif

DREBs:

DRE binding proteins

LD:

Linkage disequilibrium

MAS:

Marker-assisted selection

ORF:

Open reading frame

QTLs:

Quantitative trait loci

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

SNPs:

Single nucleotide polymorphisms

TFs:

Transcription factors

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from: the Forestry Public Benefit Research Program (No. 201204306), the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education (No. 20110014110011), and the 111 Project (No. B13007).

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Li, Y., Xu, B., Du, Q. et al. Transcript abundance patterns of Populus C-repeat binding factor2 orthologs and genetic association of PsCBF2 allelic variation with physiological and biochemical traits in response to abiotic stress. Planta 242, 295–312 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-015-2307-3

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