Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of EIN3/EIL gene family in rice (Oryza sativa)
Oluwaseun Olayemi Aluko,
Vincent Ninkuu,
James Ziemah,
Yan Jianpei,
Esther Taiwo,
Stephen Bright Ninkuu,
Noah Sabuli,
Lawrence Adelani Adetunde,
Abdul-Wahab M. Imoro,
Suleiman Fatimoh Ozavize,
Queen Adaugo Onyiro,
Godfred Dogee,
Oluwafemi Michael Adedire,
Oluwaseyi Setonji Hunpatin,
Nelson Opoku
Affiliations
Oluwaseun Olayemi Aluko
Department of Crop Production and Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria; Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China; Corresponding authors.
Vincent Ninkuu
Faculty of Bioscience, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana; Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China; Corresponding authors.
James Ziemah
Contractor University, Bremen, Germany
Yan Jianpei
Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China; College of Life Sciences, Jilin Normal University, Siping 136000, China
Esther Taiwo
Department of Crop Production and Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria
Stephen Bright Ninkuu
Faculty of Bioscience, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana
Noah Sabuli
Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China; Animal Production College, Pong-Tamale, Ghana
Lawrence Adelani Adetunde
Department of Applied Biology, C. K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Navrongo, Ghana
Abdul-Wahab M. Imoro
Department of Crop Production and Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria; Faculty of Bioscience, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana; Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China; Contractor University, Bremen, Germany; College of Life Sciences, Jilin Normal University, Siping 136000, China; Animal Production College, Pong-Tamale, Ghana; Department of Applied Biology, C. K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Navrongo, Ghana; Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China; Catholic University of Ghana, Fiapre, Ghana; School of Agriculture, Federal College of Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria; Department of Forestry and Forest Resources Management, Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment. University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana
Suleiman Fatimoh Ozavize
Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
Queen Adaugo Onyiro
Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
Godfred Dogee
Catholic University of Ghana, Fiapre, Ghana
Oluwafemi Michael Adedire
School of Agriculture, Federal College of Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria
Oluwaseyi Setonji Hunpatin
Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Nelson Opoku
Faculty of Bioscience, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana; Corresponding authors.
The nuclear-localized ethylene-insensitive3/ethylene-insensitive3-like (EIN3/EIL) proteins regulate the ethylene signaling pathway for growth and stress responses. This study presents a genome-wide analysis of nine Oryza sativa EIN3/EIL genes, exhibiting three clads in an ML phylogenetic tree. These proteins are conserved in both exon-intron organization and motif architecture aligned with their phylogenetic clustering. The EIN3/EIL proteins harbor the EIN3, EIN3 superfamily, and RDV-p3 conserved domains. OsEIN3/EIL expression profiling revealed consistently high transcript levels of LOC_Os03g20790 and LOC_Os02g36510 in leaf blades across vegetative and reproductive stages and in the endosperm, indicating a potential role in growth and yield enhancement. Additionally, LOC_Os03g20790, LOC_Os02g36510, LOC_Os07g48630, and LOC_Os09g31400 are highly expressed at later stages of root development, showing potential in nutrient signaling for seed-filling. Moreover, elevated expression of LOC_Os04g38400, LOC_Os09g31400, LOC_Os03g20790, LOC_Os08g39830, and LOC_Os07g48630 were detected under mannitol treatment, while LOC_Os04g38400 and LOC_Os08g39830 were highly upregulated in root and leaf tissues under drought stress exposure. The EIN3/EIL genes also intricately interacted with MPK1, MPK5, and MYC genes, underscoring their potential involvement in growth and stress tolerance. Altogether, our findings lay a foundation for improved rice growth and yield enhancement.
