Genome-Wide Analysis and Expression Profiles of the VOZ Gene Family in Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa)

Abstract

Vascular plant one zinc-finger (VOZ) proteins are a plant-specific transcription factor family and play important roles in plant development and stress responses. However, little is known about the VOZ genes in quinoa. In the present study, a genome-wide investigation of the VOZ gene family in quinoa was performed, including gene structures, conserved motifs, phylogeny, and expression profiles. A total of four quinoa VOZ genes distributed on three chromosomes were identified. Based on phylogenetic analysis, CqVOZ1 and CqVOZ3 belong to subfamily II, and CqVOZ2 and CqVOZ4 belong to subfamily III. Furthermore, the VOZ transcription factors of quinoa and sugarbeet were more closely related than other species. Except for CqVOZ3, all the other three CqVOZs have four exons and four introns. Analysis of conserved motifs indicated that each CqVOZ member contained seven common motifs. Multiple sequence alignment showed that the CqVOZ genes were highly conserved with consensus sequences, which might be plausibly significant for the preservation of structural integrity of the family proteins. Tissue expression analysis revealed that four CqVOZ genes were highly expressed in inflorescence and relatively low in leaves and stems, suggesting that these genes had obvious tissue expression specificity. The expression profiles of the quinoa CqVOZs under various abiotic stresses demonstrated that these genes were differentially induced by cold stress, salt stress, and drought stress. The transcript level of CqVOZ1 and CqVOZ4 were down-regulated by salt stress and drought stress, while CqVOZ2 and CqVOZ3 were up-regulated by cold, salt, and drought stress, which could be used as abiotic stress resistance candidate genes. This study systematically identifies the CqVOZ genes at the genome-wide level, contributing to a better understanding of the quinoa VOZ transcription factor family and laying a foundation for further exploring the molecular mechanism of development and stress resistance of quinoa.

Current trends and prospects in quinoa research: An approach for strategic knowledge areas

“…Research on plant breeding embraces the generation of adapted cultivars to specific environmental factors such as high drought tolerance (Serna et al, 2020) and salinity soil content (Hussain et al, 2018). This corresponds to what was reported by Shi et al (2022), who indicate that quinoa has attracted great attention as a crop, mainly because it presents a strong resistance to various adverse climatic and soil conditions, such as cold, high salinity, and drought, which allows quinoa to grow on barren soil.…”

Molecular characterization of Satsuma mandarin (<i>Citrus unshiu</i> Marc.) VASCULAR PLANT ONE-ZINC FINGER2 (CuVOZ2) interacting with CuFT1 and CuFT3

“…Interestingly, CuVOZ2 seems to be more closely related to VOZ1 proteins of dicots rather than to VOZ proteins of monocots such as rice (Figure 1B). The differentiation of VOZ1 and VOZ2 transcription factors seems to have occurred after the divergence of monocotyledons and dicotyledons (Shi et al 2022). These results indicated that CuVOZ2 might have functioned like AtVOZ2 (Figure 1B).…”

Genome-Wide Identification of Vascular Plant One-Zinc-Finger Gene Family in Six Cucurbitaceae Species and the Role of CmoVOZ2 in Salt and Drought Stress Tolerance

“…VOZ proteins represent a plant-specific subclass of transcription factors with pivotal functions in the modulation of plant growth and development, particularly in the realm of VOZ-mediated responses to abiotic stress [ 10 , 11 , 12 ]. The VOZ gene family has been reported in a variety of plant species [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 15 ], but there is still a lack of comprehensive studies on the function of VOZ genes in cucurbits and their response to growth, development, and abiotic stresses. Consequently, there exists a pressing need for an in-depth investigation of VOZ in cucurbits.…”

“…The vascular plant one-zinc-finger (VOZ) transcription factor family stands out as plant-specific, found exclusively in numerous higher plants, encompassing Physcomitrella patens and vascular plants [ 9 , 10 ]. VOZ was identified as a multifunctional gene that regulated various biological processes, including flower induction, development, and responses to diverse stresses [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. Initially identified in Arabidopsis thaliana , this gene family comprised two members, namely AtVOZ1 and AtVOZ2 , which both demonstrated binding affinity to the GCGTNx7ACGC palindromic sequence during in vitro studies [ 9 ].…”

“…Additionally, both AtVOZ1 and AtVOZ2 have been validated for their capacity to augment salt tolerance, potentially attributable to their direct or indirect regulatory influence on the transcriptional levels of diverse salt-responsive genes [ 14 ]. In quinoa ( Chenopodium quinoa ), four CqVOZ genes were identified with a high expression in inflorescences and relatively low expression in leaves and stems, and these genes responded to abiotic stresses, including cold stress, salt stress, and drought stress [ 12 ]. In Solanum lycopersicum , VOZ transcription factors are involved in the tomato fruit ripening process and its response to salt stress [ 13 ].…”