Function and Evolution of C1-2i Subclass of C2H2-Type Zinc Finger Transcription Factors in POPLAR

Abstract

C2H2 zinc finger (C2H2-ZF) transcription factors participate in various aspects of normal plant growth regulation and stress responses. C1-2i C2H2-ZFs are a special subclass of conserved proteins that contain two ZnF-C2H2 domains. Some C1-2i C2H2-ZFs in Arabidopsis (ZAT) are involved in stress resistance and other functions. However, there is limited information on C1-2i C2H2-ZFs in Populus trichocarpa (PtriZATs). To analyze the function and evolution of C1-2i C2H2-ZFs, eleven PtriZATs were identified in P. trichocarpa, which can be classified into two subgroups. The protein structure, conserved ZnF-C2H2 domains and QALGGH motifs, showed high conservation during the evolution of PtriZATs in P. trichocarpa. The spacing between two ZnF-C2H2 domains, chromosomal locations and cis-elements implied the original proteins and function of PtriZATs. Furthermore, the gene expression of different tissues and stress treatment showed the functional differentiation of PtriZATs subgroups and their stress response function. The analysis of C1-2i C2H2-ZFs in different Populus species and plants implied their evolution and differentiation, especially in terms of stress resistance. Cis-elements and expression pattern analysis of interaction proteins implied the function of PtriZATs through binding with stress-related genes, which are involved in gene regulation by via epigenetic modification through histone regulation, DNA methylation, ubiquitination, etc. Our results for the origin and evolution of PtriZATs will contribute to understanding the functional differentiation of C1-2i C2H2-ZFs in P. trichocarpa. The interaction and expression results will lay a foundation for the further functional investigation of their roles and biological processes in Populus.

Genome-Wide Analysis of ZAT Gene Family in Osmanthus fragrans and the Function Exploration of OfZAT35 in Cold Stress

“…This indicated that the three ZAT motifs might be conserved in different plant species, and their similar clustering in same subgroup demonstrated the reliability of phylogenetic tree clusters. The structural analysis revealed the absence of introns in most OfZAT genes ( Figure 3 c), which was consistent with the observations made in G. hirsutum and P. trichocarpa [ 14 , 16 ]. Introns are predicted to delay regulatory responses, and genes with fewer introns are rapidly activated during stress [ 41 ].…”

“…In this study, 38 members of the ZAT family in O. fragrans were identified, and the number is higher than the number reported in the herbaceous A. thaliana (20) and O. sativa (20) plants or in the woody plant P. trichocarpa (11) [ 11 , 14 , 36 ]. Synteny analysis detected 49 segmental and 5 tandem duplication events in the OfZAT genes ( Figure S1 ).…”

“…Furthermore, most members of the ZAT family also have a highly conserved QALGGH motif and an EAR motif at the C-terminus [ 12 ]. To date, the systematic identification of members in the ZAT family has been performed in numerous plants, such as Petunia hybrida , A. thaliana , Triticum aestivum , Gossypium hirsutum , Fragaria × ananassa , and Populus trichocarpa [ 11 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. However, despite their potential crucial roles in cold stress response, members of the ZAT gene family have yet to be characterized in O. fragrans .…”

Function and Characteristic Analysis of Candidate PEAR Proteins in Populus yunnanensis

“…150 mM NaCl (dissolved in 100 mL water) was added to cultured plant pots for 1 day as salt treatment. At least three sets of biological replicates of treated P. yunnanensis leaves were collected for the test [66].…”

C2H2 proteins: Evolutionary aspects of domain architecture and diversification

“…[12,13] Plant transcription factors typically have one or, rarely, several zinc finger domains that don't form clusters with an important role in promoter organization. [14,15] In the present review, we describe the distribution of transcription factors containing different types of C2H2 domain organization in higher eukaryotes. Given the recent advances in phylogenomics and advances in protein modeling, we sought to summarize the current understanding of the evolutionary aspects of C2H2 protein domain architecture.…”