Genome-Wide Identification of the MAPK and MAPKK Gene Families in Response to Cold Stress in Prunus mume

Zhenying Wen; Mingyu Li; Juan Meng; Runtian Miao; Xu Liu; Dongqing Fan; Wenjuan Lv; Tangren Cheng; Qixiang Zhang; Lidan Sun

doi:10.3390/ijms24108829

International Journal of Molecular Sciences (May 2023)

Genome-Wide Identification of the MAPK and MAPKK Gene Families in Response to Cold Stress in Prunus mume

Zhenying Wen,
Mingyu Li,
Juan Meng,
Runtian Miao,
Xu Liu,
Dongqing Fan,
Wenjuan Lv,
Tangren Cheng,
Qixiang Zhang,
Lidan Sun

Affiliations

Zhenying Wen: Beijing Key Laboratory of Ornamental Plants Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, National Engineering Research Center for Floriculture, Beijing Laboratory of Urban and Rural Ecological Environment, School of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Mingyu Li: Beijing Key Laboratory of Ornamental Plants Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, National Engineering Research Center for Floriculture, Beijing Laboratory of Urban and Rural Ecological Environment, School of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Juan Meng: Beijing Key Laboratory of Ornamental Plants Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, National Engineering Research Center for Floriculture, Beijing Laboratory of Urban and Rural Ecological Environment, School of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Runtian Miao: Beijing Key Laboratory of Ornamental Plants Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, National Engineering Research Center for Floriculture, Beijing Laboratory of Urban and Rural Ecological Environment, School of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Xu Liu: Beijing Key Laboratory of Ornamental Plants Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, National Engineering Research Center for Floriculture, Beijing Laboratory of Urban and Rural Ecological Environment, School of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Dongqing Fan: Center for Computational Biology, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Wenjuan Lv: Center for Computational Biology, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Tangren Cheng: Beijing Key Laboratory of Ornamental Plants Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, National Engineering Research Center for Floriculture, Beijing Laboratory of Urban and Rural Ecological Environment, School of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Qixiang Zhang: Beijing Key Laboratory of Ornamental Plants Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, National Engineering Research Center for Floriculture, Beijing Laboratory of Urban and Rural Ecological Environment, School of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Lidan Sun: Beijing Key Laboratory of Ornamental Plants Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, National Engineering Research Center for Floriculture, Beijing Laboratory of Urban and Rural Ecological Environment, School of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24108829
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 24, no. 10
p. 8829

Abstract

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Protein kinases of the MAPK cascade family (MAPKKK–MAPKK–MAPK) play an essential role in plant stress response and hormone signal transduction. However, their role in the cold hardiness of Prunus mume (Mei), a class of ornamental woody plant, remains unclear. In this study, we use bioinformatic approaches to assess and analyze two related protein kinase families, namely, MAP kinases (MPKs) and MAPK kinases (MKKs), in wild P. mume and its variety P. mume var. tortuosa. We identify 11 PmMPK and 7 PmMKK genes in the former species and 12 PmvMPK and 7 PmvMKK genes in the latter species, and we investigate whether and how these gene families contribute to cold stress responses. Members of the MPK and MKK gene families located on seven and four chromosomes of both species are free of tandem duplication. Four, three, and one segment duplication events are exhibited in PmMPK, PmvMPK, and PmMKK, respectively, suggesting that segment duplications play an essential role in the expansion and evolution of P. mume and its gene variety. Moreover, synteny analysis suggests that most MPK and MKK genes have similar origins and involved similar evolutionary processes in P. mume and its variety. A cis-acting regulatory element analysis shows that MPK and MKK genes may function in P. mume and its variety’s development, modulating processes such as light response, anaerobic induction, and abscisic acid response as well as responses to a variety of stresses, such as low temperature and drought. Most PmMPKs and PmMKKs exhibited tissue-specifific expression patterns, as well as time-specific expression patterns that protect them through cold. In a low-temperature treatment experiment with the cold-tolerant cultivar P. mume ‘Songchun’ and the cold-sensitive cultivar ‘Lve’, we find that almost all PmMPK and PmMKK genes, especially PmMPK3/5/6/20 and PmMKK2/3/6, dramatically respond to cold stress as treatment duration increases. This study introduces the possibility that these family members contribute to P. mume’s cold stress response. Further investigation is warranted to understand the mechanistic functions of MAPK and MAPKK proteins in P. mume development and response to cold stress.

Published in International Journal of Molecular Sciences

ISSN: 1661-6596 (Print); 1422-0067 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science: Biology (General); Science: Chemistry
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijms

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