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Discovery and expression profile analysis of AP2/ERF family genes from Triticum aestivum

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Abstract

Throughout its development, common wheat, Triticum aestivum responds to different kinds of adverse abiotic and biotic stress by expressing specific genes that allow it to adapt to these stresses. In this process, genes in the AP2/ERF family encode transcriptional regulators involved in diverse developmental and physiological processes play critical roles. Here, we established an extensive picture of the AP2/ERF family genes in wheat. From 960, 174 ESTs of T. aestivum, 117 putative AP2/ERF family genes were identified by in silico analysis based on the presence of the conserved AP2/ERF domain amino acid sequence of Arabidopsis thaliana. Based on the model species A. thaliana, the AP2/ERF TFs from T. aestivum were classified into five subfamilies with the following number of members: DREB (57), ERF (47), AP2 (9), RAV (3) and Soloist (1). Using the available EST information as a source of expression data, the putative AP2/ERF family genes from T. aestivum were detected in nine kinds of tissues. Transcripts of the genes were shown to be most abundant in leaves, followed by roots and seeds, and the least abundant in stem. Most of the T. aestivum AP2/ERF family genes showed some tissue specificity.

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Abbreviations

TF:

Transcription factor

AP2:

APETALA2 factor

ERF:

Ethylene Responsive Element Binding factor

DREB:

Dehydration Responsive Element Binding factor

RAV:

Related to ABI3/VP

Dof:

DNA-Binding with One Finger factor

bHLH:

Basic Helix Loop Helix factor

ABRE:

ABA Responsive Element Binding factor

ARF:

Auxin Response factor

EST:

Expressed sequence tag

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Acknowledgements

The research was supported by the International Scientific and Technological Cooperation of Canada-China (Shanghai-Alberta); National key Project of Transgenic Crops of China (2009ZX08002-011B); Shanghai Rising-Star Program and Natural Science Foundation (08QH14021, 08ZR1417200), Hi-tech Research and Development Program of China (2006AA10Z117). The authors would like to thank Dr. Jeremy for his critical review of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, 201106, China

    Jing Zhuang, Quan-Hong Yao, Chao-Cai Sun, Xi-Rong Zhou & Ai-Sheng Xiong

  2. Alberta Research Council, Vegreville, AB, T9C 1T4, Canada

    Jing Zhuang & Jian Zhang

  3. Yangzhou University, 88 S. Daxue Road, Yangzhou, 225009, China

    Jian-Min Chen & Fei Xiong

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  1. Jing Zhuang
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Correspondence to Xi-Rong Zhou, Jian Zhang or Ai-Sheng Xiong.

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Zhuang, J., Chen, JM., Yao, QH. et al. Discovery and expression profile analysis of AP2/ERF family genes from Triticum aestivum . Mol Biol Rep 38, 745–753 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-010-0162-7

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