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Acta Prataculturae Sinica ›› 2025, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (5): 74-88.DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2024257

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Identification of DREB genes from Zoysia japonica and their transcript profiles in response to abiotic stress

Zhi-fang ZUO(), Yong-long LI, Yu-jia WEI, Sheng-hui ZHOU, Yan LI, Guo-feng YANG()   

  1. College of Grassland Science,Qingdao Agricultural University,Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Grassland Resources and Ecology in the Yellow River Delta,Qingdao Key Laboratory of Specialty Plant Germplasm Innovation and Utilization in Saline Soils of Coastal Beach,Qingdao 266109,China
  • Received:2024-07-02 Revised:2024-08-22 Online:2025-05-20 Published:2025-03-20
  • Contact: Guo-feng YANG

Abstract:

DREB transcription factors belong to the AP2/ERF superfamily, and play important roles in plant development and stress responses. However, a systematic analysis of DREB genes in Zoysia japonica, which is a warm-season turfgrass native to China has not been reported. In this study, we identified 64 ZjDREBs from Z. japonica, encoding polypeptides of 105 to 984 amino acids, with molecular weights ranging from 11.42 to 107.04 kDa and theoretical isoelectric points ranging from 4.09 to 11.95. The phylogenetic analysis of 64 ZjDREBs showed that they were divided into six groups from A1 to A6. A conserved motif analysis of ZjDREB protein sequences revealed that motif1, motif2, and motif3 were relatively highly conserved. Sixty-one ZjDREBs were unevenly distributed on 14 chromosomes of Z. japonica. By colinearity analysis, we identified three pairs of segmentally duplicated ZjDREB genes. The non-synonymous∶synonymous (Ka/Ks) was <1, indicating that this gene family might have been subject to purifying selection during its expansion. Analyses of the promoter regions of ZjDREBs in the A1 and A2 groups revealed multiple cis-acting elements related to plant hormones and abiotic stresses. The expression profiles of ZjDREB genes in the A1 and A2 groups under cold, abscisic acid (ABA), drought, and salt stress were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The A1 group genes were up-regulated by cold and ABA treatments, and ZjDREB3 was significantly up-regulated. The A2 group genes showed different expression profiles under drought and salt stress, and ZjDREB4 was significantly up-regulated. Together, these results lay a foundation for further exploration of the functions of ZjDREB genes and provide avenues for the genetic improvement of Z. japonica.

Key words: Zoysia japonica, DREB transcription factor, phylogenetic evolution, abiotic stress, expression profiling