Mitogen-activated protein kinase （MPK） cascades consist of a set of kinase types （MPKKKs, MPKKs, MPKs） to establish conserved signal-transducing modules mediating plant growth, development as well as responses to internal and external cues. In this study, the expression patterns of six MPKKK, two MPKK, and 11 MPK genes in wheat in responses to external treatments of phytohormones, including naphthylacetic acid （NAA）, abscisic acid （ABA）, 6-benzyladenine （6-BA）, gibber- ellin （GA3）, salisylic acid （SA）, jasmonic acid （JA）, and ethylene （ETH）, were investigated. Expression analysis revealed that several of the MPK cascade genes are responses to the external phytohormone signaling. Of which, TaMPKKKA;3 is induced by 6-BA and NAA while TaMPK4 repressed by ETH, GA3, SA, and JA; TaMPKKKA, TaMPKKKA;3 and TaMPK1 are down-regulated by ETH and GA3whereas TaMPK9 and TaMPK12 repressed by ETH and JA in addition that TaMPK12 also repressed by GA3; TaMPK12;1 is down-regulated by ABA, GA3 and SA while TaMPK17 repressed by all exogenous phytonormones examined. TaMPK4, a MPK type gene previously characterized to mediate tolerance to phosphate （Pi） deprivation, was functionally evaluated for its role in mediation of responses of plants to exogenous GA3, ETH, SA, and JA. Results indicated that overexpression and antisense expression of TaMPK4 in tobacco dramatically modify the growth of seedlings upon treatments of GA3, SA and JA, in which the overexpressors behaved deteriorated growth feature whereas the seedlings with antisense expression of TaMPK4 exhibited improved seedling phenotype. The growth behaviors in lines overexpressing or antisensely expressing TaMPK4 are closely associated with the biomass and the corresponding hormone-associated parameters. These results demonstrated that TaMPK4 acts as a critical player in mediating the phyto- hormone signaling. Our findings have identified the phytohormone-responsive MPK cascade genes in wheat and provided a connection between the phytohormon
YAO Su-feiWANG Yan-xiaYANG Tong-renHAO LinLU Wen-jingXIAO Kai
Through regulating target genes via the mechanisms of posttranscriptional cleavage or translational repression, plant miRNAs involve diverse biological processes associating with plant growth, development, and abiotic stress responses, in this study, we functionally characterized TaMIR1119, a miRNA family member of wheat （Triticum aestivum）, in regulating the drought adaptive response of plants. TaMIR1119 putatively targets six genes categorized into the functional classes of transcriptional regulation, RNA and biochemical metabolism, trafficking, and oxidative stress defense. Upon simulated drought stress, the TaMIR1119 transcripts abundance in roots was drastically altered, showing to be upregulated gradually within a 48-h drought regime andthat the drought-induced transcripts were gradually restored along with a 48-h recovery treatment. In contrast, most miRNA target genes displayed reverse expression patterns to TaMIR1119, exhibiting a downregulated expression pattern upon drought and whose reduced transcripts were re-elevated along with a normal recovery treatment. These expression analysis results indicated that TaMIR1119 responds to drought and regulates the target genes mainly through a cleavage mechanism. Under drought stress, the tobacco lines with TaMIR1119 overexpression behaved improved phenotypes,, showing increased plant biomass, photosynthetic parameters, osmolyte accumulation, and enhanced antioxidant enzyme （AE） activities relative to wild type. Three AE genes, NtFeSOD, NtCAT1;3, and NtSOD2,1, encoding superoxide dismutase （SOD）, catalase （CAT）, and peroxidase （POD） proteins, respectively, showed upregulated expression in TaMIR1119 overexpression lines, suggesting that they are involved in the regulation of AE activities and contribution to the improved cellular reactive oxygen species （ROS） homeostasis in drought-challenged transgenic lines. Our results indicate that TaMIR1119 plays critical roles in regulating plant drought tolerance through transcriptionally regulating
SHI Gui-qingFU Jing-yingRONG Ling-jieZHANG Pei-yueGUO Cheng-jinXIAO Kai
Zinc finger protein（ZFP） genes comprise a large and diverse gene family, and are involved in biotic and abiotic stress responses in plants. In this study, a total of 126 ZFP genes classified into various types in wheat were characterized and subjected to expression pattern analysis under inorganic phosphate（Pi） deprivation. The wheat ZFP genes and their corresponding GenBank numbers were obtained from the information of a 4×44K wheat gene expression microarray chip. They were confirmed by sequence similarity analysis and named based on their homologs in Brachypodium distachyon or Oriza sativa. Expression analysis based on the microarray chip revealed that these ZFP genes are categorized into 11 classes according to their gene expression patterns in a 24-h of Pi deprivation regime. Among them, ten genes were differentially up-regulated, ten genes differentially downregulated, and two genes both differentially up- and down-regulated by Pi deprivation. The differentially up- or down-regulated genes exhibited significantly more or less transcripts at one, two, or all of the checking time points（1, 6, and 24 h） of Pi stress in comparison with those of normal growth, respectively. The both differentially up- and down-regulated genes exhibited contrasting expression patterns, of these, TaWRKY70;5 showed significantly up-regulated at 1 and 6 h and down-regulated at 24 h whereas TaAN1AN20-8;2 displayed significantly upregulated at 1 h and downregulated at 6 h under deprivation Pi condition. Real time PCR analysis confirmed the expression patterns of the differentially expressed genes obtained by the microarray chip. Our results indicate that numerous ZFP genes in wheat respond to Pi deprivation and have provided further insight into the molecular basis that plants respond to Pi deprivation mediated by the ZFP gene family.
LI Xiao-juanGUO Cheng-jinLU Wen-jingDUAN Wei-weiZHAO MiaoMA Chun-yingGU Jun-taoXIAO Kai
