Identification and Characterization of bZIP Gene Family Combined Transcriptome Analysis Revealed Their Functional Roles on Abiotic Stress and Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in Mulberry (<i>Morus alba</i>)
The basic leucine zipper (bZIP) gene family constitutes one of the most abundant and conserved transcription factor families in plants, which participates in diverse physiological processes including response to abiotic stress, anthocyanin accumulation, and the regulation of plant growth and develop...
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2025-06-01
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| author | Qinghua Liu Haowen Fang Hong Zhou Xiling Wang Zhiwei Hou |
| author_facet | Qinghua Liu Haowen Fang Hong Zhou Xiling Wang Zhiwei Hou |
| author_sort | Qinghua Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The basic leucine zipper (bZIP) gene family constitutes one of the most abundant and conserved transcription factor families in plants, which participates in diverse physiological processes including response to abiotic stress, anthocyanin accumulation, and the regulation of plant growth and development. Although bZIP genes play an important role in plants, comparable studies in mulberry are lacking, particularly regarding their response under abiotic stress conditions. In this study, we identified 56 mulberry bZIP transcription factors and divided these members into 12 groups by phylogenetic analysis. The coding genes of these bZIPs harbor a large number of segmental duplications and are unevenly distributed on 12 chromosomes. We further identified numerous stress responsive elements in the promoter regions of bZIP genes. Furthermore, by analysis of the expression profiles from RNA-seq data, we identified <i>MabZIP43</i> and <i>MabZIP24</i> that respond to heat, salt–alkaline, and high light stress. We also found that the gene expression of <i>MabZIP16</i> was closely related to anthocyanin biosynthesis. As described, we systematically explored the structures and functions of the bZIP gene family in <i>Morus alba</i>. The results imply that the bZIP gene family plays significant roles in stress response and anthocyanin biosynthesis. Three bZIP candidate genes are suggested for genetic engineering to improve the resistance of mulberry to stress and for high-anthocyanin-producing lines. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-10260a906d3e4cb88a61ee3d0b075b0b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2311-7524 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
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| series | Horticulturae |
| spelling | doaj-art-10260a906d3e4cb88a61ee3d0b075b0b2025-08-20T03:27:18ZengMDPI AGHorticulturae2311-75242025-06-0111669410.3390/horticulturae11060694Identification and Characterization of bZIP Gene Family Combined Transcriptome Analysis Revealed Their Functional Roles on Abiotic Stress and Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in Mulberry (<i>Morus alba</i>)Qinghua Liu0Haowen Fang1Hong Zhou2Xiling Wang3Zhiwei Hou4State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, College of Sericulture, Textile and Biomass Sciences, Southwest University, Tiansheng Road No. 2, Chongqing 400715, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, College of Sericulture, Textile and Biomass Sciences, Southwest University, Tiansheng Road No. 2, Chongqing 400715, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, College of Sericulture, Textile and Biomass Sciences, Southwest University, Tiansheng Road No. 2, Chongqing 400715, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, College of Sericulture, Textile and Biomass Sciences, Southwest University, Tiansheng Road No. 2, Chongqing 400715, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, College of Sericulture, Textile and Biomass Sciences, Southwest University, Tiansheng Road No. 2, Chongqing 400715, ChinaThe basic leucine zipper (bZIP) gene family constitutes one of the most abundant and conserved transcription factor families in plants, which participates in diverse physiological processes including response to abiotic stress, anthocyanin accumulation, and the regulation of plant growth and development. Although bZIP genes play an important role in plants, comparable studies in mulberry are lacking, particularly regarding their response under abiotic stress conditions. In this study, we identified 56 mulberry bZIP transcription factors and divided these members into 12 groups by phylogenetic analysis. The coding genes of these bZIPs harbor a large number of segmental duplications and are unevenly distributed on 12 chromosomes. We further identified numerous stress responsive elements in the promoter regions of bZIP genes. Furthermore, by analysis of the expression profiles from RNA-seq data, we identified <i>MabZIP43</i> and <i>MabZIP24</i> that respond to heat, salt–alkaline, and high light stress. We also found that the gene expression of <i>MabZIP16</i> was closely related to anthocyanin biosynthesis. As described, we systematically explored the structures and functions of the bZIP gene family in <i>Morus alba</i>. The results imply that the bZIP gene family plays significant roles in stress response and anthocyanin biosynthesis. Three bZIP candidate genes are suggested for genetic engineering to improve the resistance of mulberry to stress and for high-anthocyanin-producing lines.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/6/694bZIP transcription factorabiotic stressanthocyaninmulberry geneticsgene expression profilingphylogenetic classification analysis |
| spellingShingle | Qinghua Liu Haowen Fang Hong Zhou Xiling Wang Zhiwei Hou Identification and Characterization of bZIP Gene Family Combined Transcriptome Analysis Revealed Their Functional Roles on Abiotic Stress and Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in Mulberry (<i>Morus alba</i>) Horticulturae bZIP transcription factor abiotic stress anthocyanin mulberry genetics gene expression profiling phylogenetic classification analysis |
| title | Identification and Characterization of bZIP Gene Family Combined Transcriptome Analysis Revealed Their Functional Roles on Abiotic Stress and Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in Mulberry (<i>Morus alba</i>) |
| title_full | Identification and Characterization of bZIP Gene Family Combined Transcriptome Analysis Revealed Their Functional Roles on Abiotic Stress and Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in Mulberry (<i>Morus alba</i>) |
| title_fullStr | Identification and Characterization of bZIP Gene Family Combined Transcriptome Analysis Revealed Their Functional Roles on Abiotic Stress and Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in Mulberry (<i>Morus alba</i>) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Identification and Characterization of bZIP Gene Family Combined Transcriptome Analysis Revealed Their Functional Roles on Abiotic Stress and Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in Mulberry (<i>Morus alba</i>) |
| title_short | Identification and Characterization of bZIP Gene Family Combined Transcriptome Analysis Revealed Their Functional Roles on Abiotic Stress and Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in Mulberry (<i>Morus alba</i>) |
| title_sort | identification and characterization of bzip gene family combined transcriptome analysis revealed their functional roles on abiotic stress and anthocyanin biosynthesis in mulberry i morus alba i |
| topic | bZIP transcription factor abiotic stress anthocyanin mulberry genetics gene expression profiling phylogenetic classification analysis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/6/694 |
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