Genome-Wide Analysis and Exploration of WRKY Transcription Factor Family Involved in the Regulation of Shoot Branching in <i>Petunia</i>

The WRKY transcription factors (TFs) participate in various physiological, growth and developmental processes of plants. In our study, a total of 79 WRKY family members were identified and classified into three groups (Group I, Group IIa–e, and Group III) based on phylogenetic and conservative domai...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Huanyu Yao, Tianyin Yang, Jie Qian, Xinyi Deng, Lili Dong
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-05-01
Series:Genes
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/13/5/855
Description
Summary:The WRKY transcription factors (TFs) participate in various physiological, growth and developmental processes of plants. In our study, a total of 79 WRKY family members were identified and classified into three groups (Group I, Group IIa–e, and Group III) based on phylogenetic and conservative domain analyses. Conserved motif analysis showed that seven WRKYGQK domains changed. The promoter sequence analysis suggested that there were multiple stress- and hormone-related cis-regulatory elements in the promoter regions of <i>PhWRKY</i> genes. Expression patterns of <i>PhWRKYs</i> based on RNA-seq data revealed their diverse expression profiles in five tissues and under different treatments. Subcellular localization analysis showed that PhWRKY71 was located in the nucleus. In addition, overexpression of <i>PhWRKY71</i> caused a significant increase in branch number. This indicated that <i>PhWRKY71</i> played a critical role in regulating the shoot branching of <i>Petunia</i><i>hybrida</i>. The above results lay the foundation for further revealing the functions of <i>PhWRKY</i> genes.
ISSN:2073-4425