Identification and in silico expression analysis of three transcription factors in the wild potato

ABSTRACT

Transcription factors (TFs) are proteins in DNA that regulate the expression of nearby genes by interacting with cis-elements in regulatory regions, such as promoters and enhancers. Transcription factors play an important role in many biological functions, such as stress response, development, morphogenesis, and energy metabolism. The response to stress developed in organisms is created by the complex interaction of many genes at the transcriptional level, and at that stage, many TFs are involved. As wild plants have a much higher level of genetic variation than their cultivated relatives, they possess qualities to adapt to different conditions, such as stress. Wild species possessing a high level of tolerance to stress conditions have high potential to be used in studies to increase product efficiency. Therefore, it is important to understand the genome structure of wild species. In this study, transcription factors, such as WRKY (W: tryptophan, R: arginine, K: lysine, and Y: tyrosine), basic leucine zipper (bZIP), and NAC (NAM No apical meristem – ATAF1–2 Arabidopsis thaliana activating factor – CUC2 cup-shaped cotyledon), which play an important role in response to stress, were identified in the genome of wild potato (Solanum commersonii) using bioinformatic approaches. The expression levels of these TFs were determined by in silico analyses using two existing transcription libraries. In addition, by comparing the data obtained in this study with the data from the domesticated potato (Solanum tuberosum), WRKY, bZIP, and NAC gene families were evaluated from the evolutionary standpoint.

KEYWORDS:

• Bioinformatics
• bZIP
• NAC
• solanum commersonii
• wild potato
• WRKY

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

The project was supported by Cankiri Karatekin University Scientific Research Committee [FF200217B23].