AUTHOR=Chen Weifang , Chen Leifu , Cui Lei , Liu Zhixiong , Yuan Weiling 

TITLE=Genome-wide analysis of radish AHL gene family and functional verification of RsAHL14 in tomato

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=15

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2024.1401414

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2024.1401414

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>The <italic>AT-hook motif nuclear localized</italic> (<italic>AHL</italic>) gene family is a highly conserved transcription factors involved in plant growth, development, and stress responses. However, <italic>AHLs</italic> have not been systematically analyzed in radish (<italic>Raphanus sativus</italic>). Therefore, we performed genome-wide identification and expression pattern, gene structure, and function verifications of radish <italic>AHLs</italic>. We identified 52 radish <italic>AHLs</italic> (<italic>RsAHL1–RsAHL52</italic>), which were unevenly distributed across nine chromosomes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the <italic>RsAHLs</italic> were divided into two clades (A and B) and subdivided into three types (I, II, and III). Collinearity analysis revealed that the 52 <italic>RsAHLs</italic> produced 49 repeat events. Tissue expression profiles revealed differential expression of <italic>RsAHLs</italic> across different tissues, with higher expression observed in flower organs, particularly petals and anthers. qRT-PCR results indicated that <italic>RsAHLs</italic> responded to abscisic acid, methyl jasmonate, and abiotic stress (low and high temperatures and drought). Additionally, <italic>RsAHL14</italic> induced a dwarf phenotype in tomato plants, and <italic>RsAHL14</italic>-overexpression tomato plants presented significantly decreased expression levels of the gibberellin (GA) synthetic genes <italic>ent-Copalyl diphosphatase</italic>, <italic>GA3ox-3/-4/-5</italic>, and <italic>GA20ox-1/-2/-3</italic>, but significantly increased expression of the degradation gene <italic>GA2ox-1/-3</italic>. Thus, <italic>RsAHL14</italic> might affect plant growth by regulating GA content. Collectively, our study comprehensively identified <italic>RsAHLs</italic> in radish and provided a reference for further research on these genes.</p>