Genome-Wide Identification and Analysis of the NF-Y Transcription Factor Family Reveal Its Potential Roles in Salt Stress in Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)

Abstract

Nuclear factor Y (NF-Y) is a heterotrimeric transcription factor that plays an important role in various biological processes in plants, such as flowering regulation, drought resistance, and salt stress. However, few in-depth studies investigated the alfalfa NF-Y gene family. In this study, in total, 60 MsNF-Y genes, including 9 MsNF-YAs, 26 MsNF-YBs, and 25 MsNF-YCs, were identified in the alfalfa genome. The genomic locations, gene structures, protein molecular weights, conserved domains, phylogenetic relationships, and gene expression patterns in different tissues and under different stresses (cold stress, drought stress, and salt stress) of these NF-Y genes were analyzed. The illustration of the conserved domains and specific domains of the different subfamilies of the MsNF-Y genes implicates the conservation and diversity of their functions in alfalfa growth, development, and stress resistance. The gene expression analysis showed that 48 MsNF-Y genes (7 MsNF-YAs, 22 MsNF-YBs, and 19 MsNF-YCs) were expressed in all tissues at different expression levels, indicating that these genes have tissue expression specificity and different biological functions. In total, seven, seven, six, and eight MsNF-Y genes responded to cold stress, the ABA treatment, drought stress, and salt stress in alfalfa, respectively. According to the WGCNA, molecular regulatory networks related to salt stress were constructed for MsNF-YB2, MsNF-YB5, MsNF-YB7, MsNF-YB15, MsNF-YC5, and MsNF-YC6. This study could provide valuable information for further elucidating the biological functions of MsNF-Ys and improving salt tolerance and other abiotic stress resistance in alfalfa.

Genome-Wide Identification of the NF-Y Gene Family and Their Involvement in Bolting and Flowering in Flowering Chinese Cabbage

“…Furthermore, the number of introns in BcNF-Y family members was higher than in other plant species, such as alfalfa, castor, and peach. This suggests a potentially significant regulatory pattern and functional role for BcNF-Y genes in flowering Chinese cabbage [34,35,39].…”

Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of NF-Y gene family in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.)

“…Transcriptome analysis under different abiotic stresses showed that multiple NtNF-Y genes responded to two or more abiotic stresses at the same time. Similarly, multiple BnNF-Y and MsNF-Y genes were found to respond to a variety of abiotic stresses in Brassica napus and alfalfa 49,50,53 . This indicated that the functions of NtNF-Y genes may be diverse.…”

Genome-Wide Identification and Chilling Stress Analysis of the NF-Y Gene Family in Melon

“…It is proven that the NF-Y family is widely involved in plant growth, fruit maturation, and stress response. To date, the NF-Y family has been identified in a variety of crops [ 7 , 17 , 26 , 28 , 38 , 39 ]. However, there are few reports about the melon NF-Y family.…”

“…In this study, a total of 25 CmNF-Y genes were identified ( Table 1 ), which was similar to the number in other cucurbits, such as cucumber [ 6 ] and watermelon [ 38 ]. However, this is obviously less than that of other crops, such as the 36 in Arabidopsis [ 5 ], 59 in tomato [ 16 ], and 60 in alfalfa [ 39 ], indicating that the NF-Y genes amplification degree of cucurbits is relatively small. Alternatively, there may also be replication gene loss events in the evolution process [ 40 , 41 ].…”