Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the NAC transcription factor family in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) during aluminum stress

Abstract

Background: The family of NAC proteins (NAM, ATAF1/2, and CUC2) represent a class of large plant-specific transcription factors. However, identification and functional surveys of NAC genes of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) remain unstudied, despite the tomato genome being decoded for several years. This study aims to identify the NAC gene family and investigate their potential roles in responding to Al stress. Results: Ninety-three NAC genes were identified and named in accordance with their chromosome location. Phylogenetic analysis found SlNACs are broadly distributed in 5 groups. Gene expression analysis showed that SlNACs had different expression levels in various tissues and at different fruit development stages. Cycloheximide treatment and qRT-PCR analysis indicated that SlNACs may aid regulation of tomato in response to Al stress, 19 of which were significantly up-or down-regulated in roots of tomato following Al stress. Conclusion: This work establishes a knowledge base for further studies on biological functions of SlNACs in tomato and will aid in improving agricultural traits of tomato in the future.

The chromosome-level reference genome assembly for Panax notoginseng and insights into ginsenoside biosynthesis

“…A total of 2150 transcription factors from 57 different families ( Supplemental Table 23 ) were identified; we then used correlation analysis to map the gene regulation network ( Figure 2 D) between terpenoid biosynthetic pathway genes and transcription factors. The transcription factor families that were highly correlated with pathway genes included mainly bHLH ( Deng et al., 2020 ), ERF ( Zhang et al., 2020b ; Paul et al., 2020 ), MYB ( Li et al., 2020 ), WRKY ( Villano et al., 2020 ), NAC ( Jin et al., 2020 ), and C2H2 transcription factors ( Han et al., 2020 ), as well as other families that play an important role in plant growth and development, stress resistance, and secondary metabolism.…”

Recent Advances in Understanding Mechanisms of Plant Tolerance and Response to Aluminum Toxicity

“…Transcription factors are protein complexes that regulate the transcription of genetic information from DNA to mRNA via specific binding to cis-acting elements in the promoters of target genes and acting downstream of signaling cascades in response to environmental stress [123]. The role of TFs in the Al signaling pathway has attracted significant attention since the first TF, sensitive to proton rhizotoxicity 1 (STOP1) and involved in Al tolerance, was identified.…”

NAC Transcription Factors as Positive or Negative Regulators during Ongoing Battle between Pathogens and Our Food Crops

“…At the same time, tomato is constantly attacked by various pathogens, causing huge losses in production [ 88 , 89 , 90 ]. So far, 93 putative NAC proteins were identified in tomato [ 26 ]. Similar to other crops, tomato NAC TFs play roles in abiotic and biotic stress responses, as well as the development of the plant [ 91 , 92 , 93 , 94 , 95 ].…”

“…Barley ( Hordeum vulgare ) and soybean ( Glycine max ) are also important crops, in the grain and legume families, while tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum ) is a fruit crop. NAC TFs comprise a gene family with 151 members in rice [ 19 , 20 , 21 ], 157 in maize [ 22 ], 559 in wheat [ 23 ], 167 in barley [ 24 ], 152 in soybean [ 25 ], and 93 in tomato [ 26 ]. Recent studies demonstrate that NAC TFs can be induced by pathogen infection, regulate the expression of downstream genes, and integrate hormone and other signals to offer plants resistance against pathogens.…”