Background Transcription factors GATAs are involved in plant developmental processes and respond to environmental stresses through binding DNA regulatory regions to regulate their downstream genes. However, little information on the GATA genes in Brassica napus is available. The release of the reference genome of B. napus provides a good opportunity to perform a genome-wide characterization of GATA family genes in rapeseed. Results In this study, 96 GATA genes randomly distributing on 19 chromosomes were identified in B. napus, which were classified into four subfamilies based on phylogenetic analysis and their domain structures. The amino acids of BnGATAs were obvious divergence among four subfamilies in terms of their GATA domains, structures and motif compositions. Gene duplication and synteny between the genomes of B. napus and A. thaliana were also analyzed to provide insights into evolutionary characteristics. Moreover, BnGATAs showed different expression patterns in various tissues and under diverse abiotic stresses. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) distributions of BnGATAs in a core collection germplasm are probably associated with functional disparity under environmental stress condition in different genotypes of B. napus. Conclusion The present study was investigated genomic structures, evolution features, expression patterns and SNP distributions of 96 BnGATAs. The results enrich our understanding of the GATA genes in rapeseed.

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Aluminum (Al) toxicity is a major abiotic stress restricting crop production in acid soils. To detoxify Al stress, plants adopt internal and external mechanisms of Al tolerance. It is well known that AtSTOP1 and OsART1 are key transcription factors involved in Al tolerance through regulation of multiple downstream genes. Here, we identified the closest homologue of AtSTOP1 and OsART1 in barley (HvATF1, Al-tolerance Transcription Factor 1), and verified its potential function in Al stress. HvATF is expressed in nucleus, and has a transcriptional activation function. The transcription of HvATF1 was constitutive in different tissues, and was little affected by Al stress. Furthermore, knockdown (RNAi) of HvATF1 resulted in increased Al sensitivity of the RNAi lines. Transcriptomics analysis identified 64 differently expressed genes (DEGs) in the RNAi lines compared to the wild-type. These DEGs were considered as candidate downstream genes regulated by HvATF1. This study provides insights into the different molecular mechanisms of Al tolerance in barley and other plants.

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Background: GATA transcription factors are involved in plant developmental processes, which also respond to environmental stresses through binding DNA regulatory regions to regulate the downstream genes. However, little information of GATA genes is available in Brassica napus, one of important oil crops. The release of B. napus genome sequences provides a good opportunity to perform a genome-wide characterization of GATA family genes in the rapeseed genome. Results: In this study, 96 GATA genes randomly distributing on 19 chromosomes were identified in B. napus. They were classified into four subfamilies on the basis of phylogenetic analysis and the domain structures. The sequences of BnGATAs were obvious divergence among four subfamilies based on their GATA domains, structures and motif compositions. Gene duplication and the synteny between the genomes of B. napus and A. thaliana were also analyzed to provide insights into the evolutionary characteristics. Moreover, BnGATAs showed different expression patterns in various tissues and under diverse abiotic stresses. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) distribution analysis suggests functional disparity of GATA family genes in different genotypes of a core collection germplasm.Conclusion: This study examined genomic structures, evolution features, expression patterns and SNP distribution of 96 BnGATAs. The results enriched our knowledge of the GATA genes in rapeseed.