Ploidy levels influence cold tolerance of Cyclocarya paliurus: insight into the roles of WRKY genes

Abstract Cold stress in winter is one of the most severe abiotic stresses on plant growth and flourishing, and the selection of cold tolerant genotypes is an important strategy to ensure the safety of plant growth and development. Cyclocarya paliurus, a diclinous and versatile tree species originall...

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Main Authors: Zanpei Zhang, Qianxing Mao, Yueying Gu, Xulan Shang, Yanmeng Huang, Shengzuo Fang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-01-01
Series:BMC Genomics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-025-11218-4
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author Zanpei Zhang
Qianxing Mao
Yueying Gu
Xulan Shang
Yanmeng Huang
Shengzuo Fang
author_facet Zanpei Zhang
Qianxing Mao
Yueying Gu
Xulan Shang
Yanmeng Huang
Shengzuo Fang
author_sort Zanpei Zhang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Cold stress in winter is one of the most severe abiotic stresses on plant growth and flourishing, and the selection of cold tolerant genotypes is an important strategy to ensure the safety of plant growth and development. Cyclocarya paliurus, a diclinous and versatile tree species originally in subtropical regions, has been introduced and cultivated in the warm temperate zone of China to meet the increasing market demand for its leaf yield. However, information regarding its cold tolerance remains limited. Based on the ploidy identification of tested materials, an imitation experiment was conducted to investigate the variation in freezing injury index and expression of the CpaWRKY family members in diploid and tetraploid C. paliurus seedlings. The results indicated a significant difference in freezing injury index between diploids and tetraploids under the imitating temperature of southern warm temperate zone, with diploids showing better cold tolerance than the tetraploids. A total of 88 CpaWRKY genes were identified from the C. paliurus genome, and RNA-Seq results showed significant differences in WRKY gene expression in C. paliurus under cold stress. Correlation analysis between differentially expressed genes and freezing injury index suggested that CpaWRKY14, CpaWRKY26 and CpaWRKY86 play essential roles in the diploids to respond to cold stress. In contrast, the major genes involved in the cold stress response in tetraploids were CpaWRKY14, CpaWRKY60, CpaWRKY63 and CpaWRKY81. Moreover, CpaWRKY14 expression was considerably higher in diploids compared to tetraploids. The results from this study not only enhance our comprehension of the role of the CpaWRKY genes in cold stress, but also provide a foundation for the genetic improvement of C. paliurus.
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issn 1471-2164
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series BMC Genomics
spelling doaj-art-32e8d1167c15489b902fbca4f36581412025-01-19T12:11:30ZengBMCBMC Genomics1471-21642025-01-0126111410.1186/s12864-025-11218-4Ploidy levels influence cold tolerance of Cyclocarya paliurus: insight into the roles of WRKY genesZanpei Zhang0Qianxing Mao1Yueying Gu2Xulan Shang3Yanmeng Huang4Shengzuo Fang5College of Forestry and Grassland, Nanjing Forestry UniversityCollege of Forestry and Grassland, Nanjing Forestry UniversityCollege of Forestry and Grassland, Nanjing Forestry UniversityCollege of Forestry and Grassland, Nanjing Forestry UniversityCollege of Forestry and Grassland, Nanjing Forestry UniversityCollege of Forestry and Grassland, Nanjing Forestry UniversityAbstract Cold stress in winter is one of the most severe abiotic stresses on plant growth and flourishing, and the selection of cold tolerant genotypes is an important strategy to ensure the safety of plant growth and development. Cyclocarya paliurus, a diclinous and versatile tree species originally in subtropical regions, has been introduced and cultivated in the warm temperate zone of China to meet the increasing market demand for its leaf yield. However, information regarding its cold tolerance remains limited. Based on the ploidy identification of tested materials, an imitation experiment was conducted to investigate the variation in freezing injury index and expression of the CpaWRKY family members in diploid and tetraploid C. paliurus seedlings. The results indicated a significant difference in freezing injury index between diploids and tetraploids under the imitating temperature of southern warm temperate zone, with diploids showing better cold tolerance than the tetraploids. A total of 88 CpaWRKY genes were identified from the C. paliurus genome, and RNA-Seq results showed significant differences in WRKY gene expression in C. paliurus under cold stress. Correlation analysis between differentially expressed genes and freezing injury index suggested that CpaWRKY14, CpaWRKY26 and CpaWRKY86 play essential roles in the diploids to respond to cold stress. In contrast, the major genes involved in the cold stress response in tetraploids were CpaWRKY14, CpaWRKY60, CpaWRKY63 and CpaWRKY81. Moreover, CpaWRKY14 expression was considerably higher in diploids compared to tetraploids. The results from this study not only enhance our comprehension of the role of the CpaWRKY genes in cold stress, but also provide a foundation for the genetic improvement of C. paliurus.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-025-11218-4Cyclocarya paliurusPloidyWRKY transcription factorsCold toleranceExpression pattern
spellingShingle Zanpei Zhang
Qianxing Mao
Yueying Gu
Xulan Shang
Yanmeng Huang
Shengzuo Fang
Ploidy levels influence cold tolerance of Cyclocarya paliurus: insight into the roles of WRKY genes
BMC Genomics
Cyclocarya paliurus
Ploidy
WRKY transcription factors
Cold tolerance
Expression pattern
title Ploidy levels influence cold tolerance of Cyclocarya paliurus: insight into the roles of WRKY genes
title_full Ploidy levels influence cold tolerance of Cyclocarya paliurus: insight into the roles of WRKY genes
title_fullStr Ploidy levels influence cold tolerance of Cyclocarya paliurus: insight into the roles of WRKY genes
title_full_unstemmed Ploidy levels influence cold tolerance of Cyclocarya paliurus: insight into the roles of WRKY genes
title_short Ploidy levels influence cold tolerance of Cyclocarya paliurus: insight into the roles of WRKY genes
title_sort ploidy levels influence cold tolerance of cyclocarya paliurus insight into the roles of wrky genes
topic Cyclocarya paliurus
Ploidy
WRKY transcription factors
Cold tolerance
Expression pattern
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-025-11218-4
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