Genome-wide study of pineapple (Ananas comosus L.) bHLH transcription factors indicates that cryptochrome-interacting bHLH2 (AcCIB2) participates in flowering time regulation and abiotic stress response
Mohammad Aslam,
Bello Hassan Jakada,
Beenish Fakher,
Joseph G. Greaves,
Xiaoping Niu,
Zhenxia Su,
Yan Cheng,
Shijiang Cao,
Xiaomei Wang,
Yuan Qin
Affiliations
Mohammad Aslam
College of Life Science, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University
Bello Hassan Jakada
College of Life Science, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University
Beenish Fakher
College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University
Joseph G. Greaves
College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University
Xiaoping Niu
College of Life Science, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University
Zhenxia Su
College of Life Science, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University
Yan Cheng
College of Life Science, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University
Shijiang Cao
College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University
Xiaomei Wang
Horticulture Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning Investigation Station of South Subtropical Fruit Trees, Ministry of Agriculture
Yuan Qin
College of Life Science, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University
Abstract Background Transcription factors (TFs) are essential regulators of growth and development in eukaryotes. Basic-helix-loop-helix (bHLHs) is one of the most significant TFs families involved in several critical regulatory functions. Cryptochrome-interacting bHLH (CIB) and cryptochromes form an extensive regulatory network to mediate a plethora of pathways. Although bHLHs regulate critical biological processes in plants, the information about pineapple bHLHs remains unexplored. Results Here, we identified a total of 121 bHLH proteins in the pineapple genome. The identified genes were renamed based on the ascending order of their gene ID and classified into 18 subgroups by phylogenetic analysis. We found that bHLH genes are expressed in different organs and stages of pineapple development. Furthermore, by the ectopic expression of AcCIB2 in Arabidopsis and complementation of Atcib2 mutant, we verified the involvement of AcCIB2 in photomorphogenesis and abiotic stress response. Conclusions Our findings revealed that AcCIB2 plays an essential role in flowering time regulation and abiotic stress response. The present study provides additional insights into the current knowledge of bHLH genes and suggests their potential role in various biological processes during pineapple development.
