Mosquitoes are vectors for various diseases, imposing a significant threat to public health globally. The recent invasion of
A. stephensi
in Africa has made malaria eradication more challenging due to its outdoor biting behavior and widespread resistance to insecticides.
The APETALA2/Ethylene-Responsive factor (AP2/ERF) gene family is a large plant-specific transcription factor family, which plays important roles in regulating plant growth and development. A role in starch synthesis is among the multiple functions of this family of transcription factors. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is one of the most important cereals for starch production. However, there are limited data on the contribution of AP2 transcription factors in barley. In this study, we used the recently published barley genome database (Morex) to identify 185 genes of the HvAP2/ERF family. Compared with previous work, we identified 64 new genes in the HvAP2/ERF gene family and corrected some previously misannotated and duplicated genes. After phylogenetic analysis, HvAP2/ERF genes were classified into four subfamilies and 18 subgroups. Expression profiling showed different patterns of spatial and temporal expression for HvAP2/ERF genes. Most of the 12 HvAP2/ERF genes analyzed using quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction had similar expression patterns when compared with those of starch synthase genes in barley, except for HvAP2-18 and HvERF-73. HvAP2-18 is homologous to OsRSR1, which negatively regulates the synthesis of rice starch. Luciferase reporter gene, and yeast one-hybrid assays showed that HvAP2-18 bound the promoter of AGP-S and SBE1 in vitro. Thus, HvAP2-18 might be an interesting candidate gene to further explore the mechanisms involved in the regulation of starch synthesis in barley.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.