Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of <i>WRKY</i> Genes during Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in the Mango (<i>Mangifera indica</i> L.)

The WRKY family is one of the largest transcription factor (TF) families in plants and is involved in the regulation of plant physiological processes, such as anthocyanin accumulation. However, little information is known regarding the <i>WRKY</i> genes in the mango. In this study, a tot...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Bin Shi, Hongxia Wu, Wencan Zhu, Bin Zheng, Songbiao Wang, Kaibing Zhou, Minjie Qian
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-06-01
Series:Agriculture
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/12/6/821
Description
Summary:The WRKY family is one of the largest transcription factor (TF) families in plants and is involved in the regulation of plant physiological processes, such as anthocyanin accumulation. However, little information is known regarding the <i>WRKY</i> genes in the mango. In this study, a total of 87 mango <i>WRKY</i> genes were identified and named <i>MiWRKY1</i> to <i>MiWRKY87</i>. Phylogenetic results showed that the 87 MiWRKYs could be divided into three groups (I, II, III) and five subgroups of group II (II-a, II-b, II-c, II-d, II-e), with high similarity in exon–intron structures and WRKY domain and motif compositions within the same group and subgroup. One tandem duplication (<i>Mi</i><i>WRKY76</i> and <i>Mi</i><i>WRKY82</i>) and 97 pairs of segmental duplicates were identified in the mango genome. Syntenic analysis showed that mango <i>MiWRKY</i> genes had 52 and 69 orthologous pairs with Arabidopsis and citrus, respectively. Promoter cis-acting element analysis revealed that <i>MiWRKYs</i> contain a large number of elements associated with light signaling, hormonal response, environmental stress, and plant development. Tissue specific expression profiles showed that the expression of <i>MiWRKY</i> genes displayed tissue preference. Quantitative-PCR analysis showed that high expression levels of <i>MiWRKY1</i>, <i>MiWRKY3</i>, <i>MiWRKY5</i>, <i>MiWRKY81</i>, and <i>MiWRKY84</i> were detected in the skin of red mango cultivar, and the expressions of <i>MiWRKY1</i> and <i>MiWRKY8</i><i>1</i> were up-regulated during light-induced anthocyanin accumulation in the mango, indicating these genes might regulate anthocyanin biosynthesis in the mango. This study provides comprehensive genetic information on the MiWRKYs in mango fruit.
ISSN:2077-0472