Comprehensive analysis of AHL gene family and their expression under drought stress and ABA treatment in Populus trichocarpa

Abstract

The AT-hook motif nuclear-localized (AHL) family is a plant transcription factor family, which plays an important role in growth and development and stress responses. We identified and analyzed 37 AHL genes in poplar (Populus trichocarpa). Phylogenetic analysis classified the PtrAHL members into three subfamilies based on their conserved domain. All PtrAHL paralogous pairs evolved under purifying selection. The promoter analysis revealed the presence of stress-related and phytohormone-related cis-elements of the PtrAHL genes. Our analysis of the tissue-specific expression pattern of PtrAHL genes indicated their significance in tissue and organ development. Network-based prediction suggested that PtrAHL genes may interact with histone deacetylases (HDAC) and participate in the development of organs, such as roots. Drought negatively impacts plant growth and development. ABA is produced under osmotic stress condition, and it takes an important part in the stress response and tolerance of plants. Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) showed that PtrAHL genes were induced by drought stress and ABA treatment. These insights into the expression of PtrAHL genes under stress provide a basis for PtrAHL gene functional analysis. Our study will help develop new breeding strategies to improve drought tolerance in poplar.

Insights Into the Molecular Evolution of AT-Hook Motif Nuclear Localization Genes in Brassica napus

“…Among them, R-G-R-P is the core sequence shared by the two motifs ( Figure 2 ). This finding is consistent with previous reports of the AHL structure ( Zhao et al, 2014 , 2020 ; Bishop et al, 2020 ; Wang et al, 2021a ).…”

Integration of meta-analysis, machine learning and systems biology approach for investigating the transcriptomic response to drought stress in Populus species

“…The AHL is a group of transcriptional regulators with a highly conserved structure in the plant kingdom and extensive information demonstrates function in plant growth and development as well as stress responses 46 . A previous study identified 37 AHL genes in Populus trichocarpa that expression levels of these genes were induced by drought stress 47 .…”

AT-Hook Transcription Factors Show Functions in Liriodendron chinense under Drought Stress and Somatic Embryogenesis

“…Thus, we speculate that Lchi22185 may have lost its conserved domain during evolution. Previous studies have shown that there are 28 AHL s in Arabidopsis, 63 family members in soybean [ 5 ], 37 AHL s in popular [ 6 ], 14 in grape [ 4 ], 37 family members in maize [ 1 ] and 47 AHL genes in carrot [ 38 ]. In our study, we divided them into two clades, according to their characteristics and distribution of conserved domains.…”

“…The AHL gene family (AT-hook motif nuclear localized gene family) has been studied in a wide variety of plant species, such as Oryza sativa L., Arabidopsis thaliana , Gossypium raimondii , Zea mays , Vitis vinifera , Glycine max L. Merr, Populus trichocarpa and others [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. For example, 29 AHL gene family members were identified in Arabidopsis , and 48, 51, and 99 AHLs were identified within the G. Raimondi , G. arboretum , and G. hirsutum genomes, respectively [ 2 , 3 ].…”

“…Furthermore, 14 AHLs were found in grape [ 4 ], and 37 AHLs were identified in maize [ 1 ]. Recently, some reports have shown that AHL plays an important role in stress response, especially in abiotic stress [ 6 ]. In P. trichocarpa and Oryza sativa L., the expression of AHL was significantly upregulated under drought stress [ 7 ].…”