title: RNA-seq analysis of oil palm under cold stress reveals a different C-repeat binding factor (CBF) mediated gene expression pattern in Elaeis guineensis compared to other species.
abstract: Elaeis guineensis as a tropical oil-crop is particularly sensitive to low temperature. Improvement of cold-tolerance may significantly increase the total cultivation area of this tropical oil-crop worldwide. We sequenced cold-treated and control (untreated) samples of Elaeis guineensis. De novo assembly generated 51,452 unigenes with an average length of 703 bp. Subsequently, these expressed sequences were functionally annotated. In the K category (transcription factors) of COG (Cluster of Orthologous Group) annotation, the largest proportion of genes induced and repressed at least two-fold under cold stress were from the AP2/ERE family, indicating that C-repeat binding factor, (CBFs, members of the AP2/ERE family) may play a central role in cold tolerance in Elaeis guineensis. Subsequently, the CBF-mediated signal transduction pathway was reconstructed based on transcriptome data and the gene expression profile involving the pathway was examined using real-time quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). CBFs reached maximum transcript level both at medium (4 h) and long period time points (7 days), contrary to the expression pattern of CBFs in Arabidopsis and rice. Moreover, the promoters of downstream Cold Responsive gene (CORs) regulated by CBFs were analyzed. Conservation, mutation and absence of the DRE core motif were detected in the promoters of six CORs. These mutations in DRE motifs suggest that CORs may not be induced via cold stress in Elaeis guineensis.
authors.affiliation: Hainan Key Laboratory of Tropical Oil Crops Biology/Coconut Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Wenchang, Hainan, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xintao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.affiliation: Hainan Key Laboratory of Tropical Oil Crops Biology/Coconut Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Wenchang, Hainan, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Hainan Key Laboratory of Tropical Oil Crops Biology/Coconut Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Wenchang, Hainan, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: School of Agriculture and Food Sciences and Centre for Integrative Legume Research, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Annaliese S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Mason
authors.affiliation: Hainan Key Laboratory of Tropical Oil Crops Biology/Coconut Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Wenchang, Hainan, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Yaodong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Science, Haikou, Hainan, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Zilong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Science, Haikou, Hainan, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peng
mesh_terms: D028023:Arecaceae / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D058639:Cold-Shock Response / Q000502:physiology*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000502:physiology*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins