Identification, characterization and expression analysis of transcription factor () genes in rice ( L.)

Abstract

The acclimation of plants to cold, salt and dehydration is involved in the action of the transcription factor (CBF) cold-response pathway. In this paper, nineteen rice CBF genes, including seven previously released and twelve unpublished novels, were identified and characterized. The multi-members of rice CBFs (OsCBF1 to OsCBF12) were divergent at the nucleotide and amino acid level. Expression analysis shows that five novel rice CBF genes (OsCBF1, OsCBF2, OsCBF3, OsCBF8, and OsCBF9) responded to short-term (1 h or 3 h) stresses of low temperature, salt stress and dehydration. The transcripts of OsCBF2, OsCBF8 and OsCBF9 in the roots were rapidly elevated when the plants were exposed to low temperatures, suggesting that they were possibly involved in low temperature responses in rice plants. Meanwhile, the expression level of OsCBF2 in leaves was enhanced when exposed to salt stress of 1–3 h, implying that OsCBF2 functioned as a transduction component in the salt stress signal cascade. Various expression patterns in OsCBF1, OsCBF2, OsCBF3, OsCBF8, and OsCBF9 under low temperature, salt and drought conditions, together with the different expression patterns between roots and leaves for each of these indicated that every rice CBF gene has unique and non-redundant functions in the response to the abiotic stresses.

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