Genome-Wide Analysis Identifies ScTCP6 as a Stress Responsive Gene in Rye

TL;DR

This study identifies ScTCP6 as a key gene in rye that responds to stress and hormones, offering insights into plant adaptation.

Contribution

The first genome-wide analysis of TCP genes in rye, revealing ScTCP6's role in stress and hormone responses.

Findings

26 ScTCP genes were identified in the rye genome, with segmental duplication driving their expansion.

ScTCP6 is significantly involved in rye development and responses to abiotic stress and hormones.

Promoter analysis revealed stress- and hormone-responsive elements in ScTCP genes.

Abstract

Teosinte branched1/cycloidea/proliferating cell factor (TCP) transcription factors are key regulators of plant growth and stress adaptation. However, their evolutionary history and functional divergence in rye (Secale cereale L.) remain unclear. Here, 26 ScTCP genes were identified from the reference rye genome. Phylogenetic and collinearity analyses with six representative cereals (Secale cereale, H. vulgare, O. sativa, T. aestivum, Z. mays, and A. tauschii Coss) revealed that segmental duplication, rather than tandem repetition, drove ScTCP expansion, with ScTCP2 located in a conserved syntenic block shared across the Poaceae family. Promoter analysis identified numerous hormone- and stress-responsive cis-elements, while a predicted protein–protein interaction network indicated extensive cross-talk with ERF and MYB transcription factors. Expression profiling of 12 representative ScTCP genes using qRT-PCR across different organs, developmental stages, six abiotic stress conditions, and three hormone treatments showed that ScTCP6 plays an important role in rye development and in responses to hormonal signals and abiotic stresses. Therefore, this study provides the first genome-wide characterization of the TCP gene family in rye and contributes to a broader understanding of the evolution and functional diversification of the TCP superfamily in higher plants.

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