Identification and Characterization of the ERF Subfamily B3 Group Revealed GhERF13.12 Improves Salt Tolerance in Upland Cotton

Lili Lu; Ghulam Qanmber; Jie Li; Mengli Pu; Guoquan Chen; Shengdong Li; Le Liu; Wenqiang Qin; Shuya Ma; Ye Wang; Quanjia Chen; Zhao Liu

doi:10.3389/fpls.2021.705883

Identification and Characterization of the ERF Subfamily B3 Group Revealed GhERF13.12 Improves Salt Tolerance in Upland Cotton

Front Plant Sci. 2021 Aug 9:12:705883. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2021.705883. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Lili Lu^{1

2}, Ghulam Qanmber², Jie Li^{1

2}, Mengli Pu³, Guoquan Chen³, Shengdong Li³, Le Liu³, Wenqiang Qin², Shuya Ma², Ye Wang^{1

2}, Quanjia Chen¹, Zhao Liu³

Affiliations

¹ Engineering Research Centre of Cotton, Ministry of Education, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Zhengzhou Research Base, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.

Abstract

The APETALA2 (AP2)/ethylene response factor plays vital functions in response to environmental stimulus. The ethylene response factor (ERF) subfamily B3 group belongs to the AP2/ERF superfamily and contains a single AP2/ERF domain. Phylogenetic analysis of the ERF subfamily B3 group genes from Arabdiposis thaliana, Gossypium arboreum, Gossypium hirsutum, and Gossypium raimondii made it possible to divide them into three groups and showed that the ERF subfamily B3 group genes are conserved in cotton. Collinearity analysis identified172 orthologous/paralogous gene pairs between G. arboreum and G. hirsutum; 178 between G. hirsutum and G. raimondii; and 1,392 in G. hirsutum. The GhERF subfamily B3 group gene family experienced massive gene family expansion through either segmental or whole genome duplication events, with most genes showing signature compatible with the action of purifying selection during evolution. Most G. hirsutum ERF subfamily B3 group genes are responsive to salt stress. GhERF13.12 transgenic Arabidopsis showed enhanced salt stress tolerance and exhibited regulation of related biochemical parameters and enhanced expression of genes participating in ABA signaling, proline biosynthesis, and ROS scavenging. In addition, the silencing of the GhERF13.12 gene leads to increased sensitivity to salt stress in cotton. These results indicate that the ERF subfamily B3 group had remained conserved during evolution and that GhERF13.12 induces salt stress tolerance in Arabidopsis and cotton.

Keywords: ERF; collinearity analysis; ectopic expression; gene duplication; gene silencing; phylogenetic analysis; salt stress.