Genome-Wide Analysis of Wheat GATA Transcription Factor Genes Reveals Their Molecular Evolutionary Characteristics and Involvement in Salt and Drought Tolerance

Abstract

GATA transcription factor genes participate in plant growth, development, morphogenesis, and stress response. In this study, we carried out a comprehensive genome-wide analysis of wheat GATA transcription factor genes to reveal their molecular evolutionary characteristics and involvement in salt and drought tolerance. In total, 79 TaGATA genes containing a conserved GATA domain were identified in the wheat genome, which were classified into four subfamilies. Collinear analysis indicated that fragment duplication plays an important role in the amplification of the wheat GATA gene family. Functional disproportionation analysis between subfamilies found that both type I and type II functional divergence simultaneously occurs in wheat GATA genes, which might result in functional differentiation of the TaGATA gene family. Transcriptional expression analysis showed that TaGATA genes generally have a high expression level in leaves and in response to drought and salt stresses. Overexpression of TaGATA62 and TaGATA73 genes significantly enhanced the drought and salt tolerance of yeast and Arabidopsis. Protein–protein docking indicated that TaGATAs can enhance drought and salt tolerance by interacting between the DNA-binding motif of GATA transcription factors and photomorphogenesis-related protein TaCOP9-5A. Our results provided a base for further understanding the molecular evolution and functional characterization of the plant GATA gene family in response to abiotic stresses.

Genetic and Epigenetic Responses of Autochthonous Grapevine Cultivars from the ‘Epirus’ Region of Greece upon Consecutive Drought Stress

“…Genes belonging to the GATA-gene family are involved in the activation of a series of genes related to the regulation of the response to changes in the photoperiod and additionally regulate the accumulation of chlorophyll [22]. Nevertheless, the regulatory function of these genes is affected by environmental changes, thus their expression indirectly changes under abiotic stresses, as was reported in recent studies [78,79]. In the present study, the expression of the VvGATA26-like gene showed no remarkable change between the stressed plants and the control plants, and only a slight up-regulation was observed in the stressed self-rooted plants of the Dichali cultivar.…”

Genome‐wide characterization and expression analysis of GATA transcription factors under combination of light wavelengths and drought stress in potato

“…An intriguing aspect is their potential involvement in the tissue‐specific expression of genes associated with abiotic stress networks. For instance, investigations have demonstrated tissue‐specific expression of GATA members in potato, particularly in roots, inflorescences, and shoots (Saidi et al, 2021 ), while in wheat, the emphasis has been on leaf‐specific expression (Du et al, 2022 ). Unfortunately, conducting in silico expression analysis was challenging due to the limited information available in the solArray Potato Microarray Database.…”

“…Fortunately, there is more substantial evidence regarding the role of GATA proteins in abiotic stress tolerance mechanisms. Overexpression of TaGATA62 and TaGATA73 in wheat was shown to increase expression levels in response to drought and salt stresses (Du et al, 2022 ). Similarly, two GATA genes in chickpea, CaGATA5 and CaGATA21 , were found to be upregulated during drought (Niu et al, 2020 ).…”

“…The GATA transcription factor family is actively involved in light response and abiotic stress mechanisms, exhibiting high conservation across eukaryotes. Identified by a characteristic type IV zinc finger domain (CX 2 CX 17‐20 CX 2 C, where C represents cysteine and X is any amino acid) and a nearby basic region, GATA factors were first identified in tobacco (Daniel‐Vedele & Caboche, 1993 ) and have been extensively studied in various plant species, Arabidopsis thaliana (Kim, Xi, & Park, 2021 ; Teakle & Gilmartin, 1998 ), rice (Reyes et al, 2004 ), poplar (An et al, 2014 ), Noccaea caerulescens (Milner et al, 2014 ), soybean (Zhang et al, 2015 ), apple (Chen et al, 2017 ), grape (Zhang et al, 2018 ), Moso bamboo (Wang et al, 2019 ), Brachypodium distachyon (Peng et al, 2021 ), poplar (Kim, Xi, Park, Yun, & Park, 2021 ), cucumber (Zhang et al, 2021 ), potato (Yu, Chang, et al, 2021 ), wheat (Du et al, 2022 ; Feng et al, 2022 ), and foxtail millet (Lai et al, 2022 ). The GATA transcription factor‐binding cis ‐elements are commonly found in the promoters of genes associated with light and circadian rhythms, which are crucial for plant growth and development (Argüello‐Astorga & Herrera‐Estrella, 1998 ; Manfield et al, 2007 ).…”

Trps1 predicts poor prognosis in advanced high grade serous ovarian carcinoma

“…13 The GATA transcription factor is a structurally related zinc finger protein that is highly conserved from insects to vertebrates. 14 It recognizes the GATA motif, an important cis-acting element in the promoters and enhancers of numerous genes. These transcription factors regulate cell fate determination and differentiation in a wide range of tissues.…”