Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Profiling Analysis of the Mitochondrial Calcium Uniporter Gene Family Under Abiotic Stresses in <i>Medicago sativa</i>
The mitochondrial calcium uniporters (MCUs) are a family of calcium unidirectional transporters important for cytoplasmic Ca<sup>2+</sup> signals. Though the MCU proteins in several plant species have been investigated, genome-wide analysis of <i>MCUs</i> in alfalfa is lackin...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Plants |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/22/3176 |
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| Summary: | The mitochondrial calcium uniporters (MCUs) are a family of calcium unidirectional transporters important for cytoplasmic Ca<sup>2+</sup> signals. Though the MCU proteins in several plant species have been investigated, genome-wide analysis of <i>MCUs</i> in alfalfa is lacking. Here, via genome-wide analysis, a total of 5, 20, and 6 <i>MCU</i> genes were identified in three different alfalfa cultivars, namely <i>Medicago truncatula</i> Jemalong A17, <i>Medicago sativa</i> XinJiangDaYe, and <i>M. sativa</i> Zhongmu No. 1, respectively. They were further phylogenetically classified into three subfamilies. Most <i>MCU</i> genes have only one intron, and gene duplication events of <i>MCU</i> genes were observed within each alfalfa accession and between different accessions. All alfalfa MCU proteins contained a highly conserved MCU domain and 10 conserved motifs, featuring two transmembrane domains and a DI/VME motif. According to the tissue expression data of <i>M. sativa</i> Zhongmu No. 1, <i>MsMCU6.2</i> was the most abundant transcript with the highest expression in the leaf, and <i>MsMCU5</i> and <i>MsMCU1.2</i> showed higher expression levels in the stem than other tissues. We analyzed the expression profiles of five <i>MCU</i> genes (<i>MsMCU1.1/1.2/5/6.1/6.2</i>) under salt, drought, and cold stresses via qRT-PCR assays. All five <i>MCU</i> genes were induced by drought stress, except MsMCU5, whose expression was up-regulated by salt stress, while cold stress slightly altered MsMCU expression. Nine potential interacting proteins and three miRNAs targeting <i>MtMCUs</i> were predicted. These results provide detailed knowledge of alfalfa <i>MCU</i> genes and suggest their potential functions in abiotic stress response. |
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| ISSN: | 2223-7747 |