Identification and analysis of differentially expressed trihelix genes in maize ( Zea mays ) under abiotic stresses

作者：Dongbo Zhao, Fengju Gao, Peiyan Guan, Jiansheng Gao, Zhihui Guo, Jianjun Guo, Huini Cui, Yongjun Li, Guijun Zhang, Zhao Li, Lianghai Guo · 发表于：PeerJ · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.7717/peerj.15312 · 被引用次数：20 · 研究领域：Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms、Plant Molecular Biology Research、Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies

Background Trihelix transcription factors play important roles in triggering plant growth and imparting tolerance against biotic and abiotic stresses. However, a systematical analysis of the trihelix transcription factor family under heat and drought stresses in maize has not been reported. Methods PlantTFDB and TBtools were employed to identify the trihelix domain-containing genes in the maize genome. The heat-regulated transcriptome data for maize were obtained from NCBI to screen differentially expressed ZmTHs genes through statistical analysis. The basic protein sequences, chromosomal localization, and subcellular localization were analyzed using Maize GDB, Expasy, SOMPA, TBtools, and Plant-mPLoc. The conserved motifs, evolutionary relationships, and cis -elements, were analyzed by MEME, MEGA7.0 and PlantCARE software, respectively. The tissue expression patterns of ZmTHs and their expression profiles under heat and drought stress were detected using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Results A total of 44 trihelix family members were discovered, and members were distributed over 10 chromosomes in the maize genome. A total of 11 genes were identified that were regulated by heat stress; these were unevenly distributed on chromosomes 1, 2, 4, 5, and 10. ZmTHs encoded a total of 16 proteins, all of which were located in the nucleus; however, ZmTH04.1 was also distributed in the chloroplast. The protein length varied from 206 to 725 amino acids; the molecular weight ranged...