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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Bioinformatics
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1481358
This article is part of the Research Topic Exploring Structural Variants in Plant Pangenomics: Innovations and Applications View all articles

Comparative Genomic Profiling of CBFs Pan-Gene Family in Five Yellowhorn Cultivars and Functional Identification of Xg11_CBF11

Provisionally accepted
Juan Wang Juan Wang 1Xizhen Liang Xizhen Liang 1Weiyang Zhang Weiyang Zhang 1Asma Khalil Asma Khalil 2Yingying Wu Yingying Wu 1Sisi Liu Sisi Liu 1Muhammad Tahir Ul Qamar Muhammad Tahir Ul Qamar 2*Xingqiang Wang Xingqiang Wang 1Jinping Guo Jinping Guo 1
  • 1 Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong, Shanxi Province, China
  • 2 Government College University, Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    C-repeat binding factor (CBF) transcription factors can activate the expression of a series of cold regulation-related genes, thereby improving the cold resistance of plants. However, no detailed information is known about the biological functions of CBF proteins in yellowhorn (Xanthoceras sorbifolium). In this study, a total of 59 CBF gene family members were identified in five yellowhorn cultivars (WF18, Zhongshi 4, Jinguanxipei 2021, Zhong Guan NO.2, and XsoG11), revealing their intraspecific structural and functional diversity, with 8 core genes present in all cultivars. Phylogenetic and motif analyses highlighted conserved features and species-specific adaptations. Gene duplication events revealed that tandem duplicates are major factors involved in the expansion of this gene family in yellowhorn. Expression profiling under stress conditions demonstrated the involvement of these genes in stress responses. Of particular interest was Xg11_CBF11, which showed strong induction by low-temperature stress. Overexpression of Xg11_CBF11 in Arabidopsis thaliana was performed to validate its cold resistance function. The wild-type and T2 transgenic A. thaliana plants were subjected to low-temperature stress at 4℃ for 0, 24, and 48 h, and physiological indexes related to antioxidant enzyme activity, photosynthesis, and cell membrane permeability were determined by comparative test. The results were as follows: the POD and SOD activities of transgenic lines were significantly higher than those of wild-type lines, indicating Xg11_CBF11 improved the adaptability of A. thaliana to low-temperature; The increase of relative conductivity and malondialdehyde, the decrease of chlorophyll content in transgenic lines were smaller than those of wild-type lines, indicating Xg11_CBF11 enhanced the resistance of A. thaliana to low-temperature stress. These results implied that Xg11_CBF11 has a positive regulatory effect on A. thaliana 's response to low-temperature stress.

    Keywords: Xanthoceras sorbifolium, pangenome-wide, gene ontology, Low-temperature stress, physiological response, transgene

    Received: 15 Aug 2024; Accepted: 10 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Wang, Liang, Zhang, Khalil, Wu, Liu, Tahir Ul Qamar, Wang and Guo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Muhammad Tahir Ul Qamar, Government College University, Faisalabad, Faisalabad, 38000, Punjab, Pakistan

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