Table_7_Genome-wide survey and expression analysis of Dof transcription factor family in sweetpotato shed light on their promising functions in stress tolerance.xlsx

DNA-binding with one finger (Dof) transcription factors play a crucial role in plant abiotic stress regulatory networks, although massive Dofs have been systematically characterized in plants, they have not been identified in the hexaploid crop sweetpotato. Herein, 43 IbDof genes were detected to be disproportionally dispersed across 14 of the 15 chromosomes of sweetpotato, and segmental duplications were discovered to be the major driving force for the expansion of IbDofs. The collinearity analysis of IbDofs with their related orthologs from eight plants revealed the potential evolutionary history of Dof gene family. Phylogenetic analysis displayed that IbDof proteins were assigned into nine subfamilies, and the regularity of gene structures and conserved motifs was consistent with the subgroup classification. Additionally, five chosen IbDof genes were shown to be substantially and variably induced under various abiotic conditions (salt, drought, heat, and cold), as well as hormone treatments (ABA and SA), according to their transcriptome data and qRT-PCR experiments. Consistently, the promoters of IbDofs contained a number of cis-acting elements associated with hormone and stress responses. Besides, it was noted that IbDof2 had transactivation activity in yeasts, while IbDof-11/-16/-36 did not, and protein interaction network analysis and yeast two-hybrid experiments revealed a complicated interaction connection amongst IbDofs. Collectively, these data lay a foundation for further functional explorations of IbDof genes, especially with regards to the possible application of multiple IbDof members in breeding the tolerant plants.

单指DNA结合转录因子（Dof）在植物非生物胁迫调控网络中扮演着至关重要的角色。尽管在植物中已对大量Dof进行了系统性的表征，但它们在六倍体作物甘薯中尚未被识别。本研究中，检测到43个IbDof基因在甘薯的15条染色体中的14条上不成比例地分散分布，并发现片段重复是IbDof基因家族扩张的主要驱动力。通过对IbDof基因及其来自八个植物的亲缘同源基因的共线性分析，揭示了Dof基因家族的潜在演化历史。系统发育分析显示，IbDof蛋白被归入九个亚家族，其基因结构和保守基序的规律性与亚家族分类一致。此外，根据其转录组数据和qRT-PCR实验结果，五个选定的IbDof基因在各种非生物条件（盐、干旱、高温和低温）以及激素处理（ABA和SA）下显著且可变地被诱导。一致地，IbDof基因的启动子中含有与激素和胁迫响应相关的多个顺式作用元件。此外，值得注意的是，IbDof2在酵母中具有转激活活性，而IbDof-11/-16/-36则不具备，蛋白质相互作用网络分析和酵母双杂交实验揭示了IbDof之间复杂的相互作用关系。总之，这些数据为IbDof基因的功能探索奠定了基础，尤其是在培育耐性植物中可能应用多个IbDof成员的可能性。