Recent Trend of Genome-Wide Multigene Family Analysis and Their Role in Plant Drought Tolerance

Special Article - Drought Tolerance

Ann Agric Crop Sci. 2019; 4(2): 1046.

Recent Trend of Genome-Wide Multigene Family Analysis and Their Role in Plant Drought Tolerance

Kakar KU1, Akram Ali Baloch1, Nawaz Z2 and Ahmed J1*

¹Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences & Informatics, Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences, Quetta, Pakistan

²Department of Botany, University of Central Punjab, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

*Corresponding author: Prof. Dr. Jamil Ahmed, Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences & Informatics, Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences, Quetta, Pakistan. Tel: +923456789775; Email: jamil. ahmad@buitms.edu.pk

Received: July 24, 2019; Accepted: July 30, 2019; Published: August 06, 2019

Short Communication

Drought stress is a major abiotic stress that have devastating impact on world agriculture. Drought not only reduces the crop productivity and yield but also leads to lower incomes for farmers and weaken global food security [1]. Recent data from numerous independent studies have demonstrated that water stress reduced the average yield by 40% for Maize in 2016, 21% for Wheat in 2016 and 34-68% for cowpea in 2017 [2,3]. The speedy development and adoption of climate-resilient crop genotypes is imperative to ensure global food security [4].

Plants display stress resistance or stress tolerance through acclimation and adaptation mechanisms. To lessen the damages from drought stress, plant breeders, geneticists and farmers are exploring new approaches for resistance breeding in crops. The need to access and investigate genetic diversity on an unprecedented scale in plant genomes and discovery of new resistant genes has become inevitable. In this scenario, latest developments in plant genomics have provided additional resources to accelerate the pace of genetic improvement [5].

Current researches in plant genomics have largely focused on the genomewide identification, characterization and expression profiling of novel multigene families in sequenced organisms. These multigene families are being continuously reported in almost every known and important agricultural crop, including, rice, tomato, maize, citrus, papaya, Brassica, tobacco etc. To the best of our knowledge, more than 100 articles have been published in various journals this year, and the number is increasing gradually. The focus of such studies is to find one or more novel candidate gene(s) associated with plant growth, development and response to environmental stimuli. Examples of the newly identified gene families associated with drought stress response in plants include Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases (MAPKs), Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), GRAS, Brassinazole-Resistant (BZR), Auxin Response Factors (ARFs), Alternative Oxidase (AOX), WRKY transcription factors, Metacaspase (MC), Cyclic Nucleotide-Gated Ion Channels (CNGCs), Catalases (CATs), Heat shock transcription factors (Hsfs), Expansin (EXP), NAC family, Multiple Organellar RNA editing Factor (MORF), IQ67-domain (IQD), Teosintebranched 1/Cycloidea/Proliferating (TCP), Aquaporins (AQPs), Calmodulin-binding Transcription Activators (CAMTAs), Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEAs) and trihelix etc (Table 1). Many of these gene families have been systematically characterized in multiple plant species, while, others have been reported in particular species only. For example, BZR family of Transcription Factors (TFs), regulating the biosynthesis of brassinosteroids and drought resistance, is comprised of 16 genes in Glycine max (soybean), 11 genes in Zea Mays (Maize), 7 in Medicago truncatula (Barrel medic) and Phaseolus vulgaris (common bean), 6 in Cajanus cajan (pigeon pea) and Cicer arietinum (chickpea), and 5 genes in Lotus japonicus (Bridsfoot Trefoil) and Vigna radiate (mung bean) [6]. Similarly, the CNGC family genes involved in ion transport, calcium signaling, plant growth and stress response have been identified in Rice, tomato, Chinese cabbage and tobacco [7-9]. Depending on plant species and/or gene family, the proteins of each gene family have their own distinctive roles by using specific mechanism. For instance, MAPKs play central roles in hormone signaling transduction in cassava [10], while ARFs are critical components of the auxin-signaling pathway in chickpea, Medicago and Arabidopsis [11-13]. However, due to complex gene regulatory networks, crossed signaling pathways and protein-protein interactions, individual gene(s) or gene family contribute to various biological functions including plant growth, development, and biotic and abiotic stress resistance.

Citation:Kakar KU, Ali Baloch A, Nawaz Z and Ahmed J. Recent Trend of Genome-Wide Multigene Family Analysis and Their Role in Plant Drought Tolerance. Ann Agric Crop Sci. 2019; 4(2): 1046.