Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the response regulator gene family in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) reveals their multifarious roles in stress response

Yuqin Qiang; Xiaojuan He; Zhen Li; Siqi Li; Jia Zhang; Tao Liu; Mamateliy Tursunniyaz; Xinyu Wang; Zhipeng Liu; Longfa Fang

doi:10.3389/fpls.2023.1149880

Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the response regulator gene family in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) reveals their multifarious roles in stress response

Front Plant Sci. 2023 Mar 14:14:1149880. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1149880. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
² National Engineering Laboratory for Volatile Organic Compounds Pollution Control Material & Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.

Abstract

As important components of the two-component regulatory system, response regulatory proteins (RRPs) play a crucial role in histidine phosphorylation-mediated signal transduction in response to environmental fluctuations. Accumulating evidence has revealed that RRPs play important roles in plant growth and stress response. However, the specific functions of RR genes (RRs) in cultivated alfalfa remain ambiguous. Therefore, in this study, we identified and characterized the RR family genes in the alfalfa genome using bioinformatics methods. Our analysis revealed 37 RRs in the alfalfa genome of Zhongmu No.1 that were unevenly distributed on the chromosomes. Cis-elements analysis revealed the involvement of RRs in responses to light, stress, and various plant hormones. Expression analysis of RRs in different tissues revealed their distinct tissue expression patterns. These findings provide preliminary insights into the roles of RRs in plant responses to abiotic stress, which can be used to improve the stress tolerance of autotetraploid-cultivated alfalfa plants via genetic engineering.

Keywords: alfalfa; expression analysis; gene family; response regulators; stress response.

Grants and funding

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32201463), Major Program of Agricultural Biology Breeding (2022ZD04011) and the Fundamental Research Fund for the Central Universities (lzujbky-2021-ct21).