title: Identification of Heat Shock Transcription Factor Genes Involved in Thermotolerance of Octoploid Cultivated Strawberry.
abstract: Heat shock transcription factors (HSFs) are mainly involved in the activation of genes in response to heat stress as well as other abiotic and biotic stresses. The growth, development, reproduction, and yield of strawberry are strongly limited by extreme temperatures and droughts. In this study, we used Illumina sequencing and obtained transcriptome data set fromFragaria × ananassaDuchessne cv. Toyonoka. Six contigs and three unigenes were confirmed to encode HSF proteins (FaTHSFs). Subsequently, we characterized the biological functions of two particularly selected unigenes,FaTHSFA2aandFaTHSFB1a, which were classified into class A2 and B HSFs, respectively. Expression assays revealed thatFaTHSFA2aandFaTHSFB1aexpression was induced by heat shock and correlated well with elevated ambient temperatures. Overexpression ofFaTHSFA2aandFaTHSFB1aresulted in the activation of their downstream stress-associated genes, and notably enhanced the thermotolerance of transgenicArabidopsisplants. Besides, both FaTHSFA2a and FaTHSFB1a fusion proteins localized in the nucleus, indicating their similar subcellular distributions as transcription factors. Our yeast one-hybrid assay suggested that FaTHSFA2a has trans-activation activity, whereas FaTHSFB1a expresses trans-repression function. Altogether, our annotated transcriptome sequences provide a beneficial resource for identifying most genes expressed in octoploid strawberry. Furthermore, HSF studies revealed the possible insights into the molecular mechanisms of thermotolerance, thus rendering valuable molecular breeding to improve the tolerance of strawberry in response to high-temperature stress.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Sciences, Tzu-Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan. 98751101@gms.tcu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Wan-Yu
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Tzu-Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan. leelin@gms.tcu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Lee-Fong
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Tzu-Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan. pudding30167@yahoo.com.tw.
authors.forename: Jing-Lian
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Jheng
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Medicine, National Tsing-Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan. aricwang@itri.org.tw.|Biomedical Technology and Device Research Laboratories, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu 30011, Taiwan. aricwang@itri.org.tw.
authors.forename: Chun-Chung
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Technology and Device Research Laboratories, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu 30011, Taiwan. JHYen@itri.org.tw.
authors.forename: Jui-Hung
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Tzu-Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan. mlchou1015@gms.tcu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Ming-Lun
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Chou
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D031985:Fragaria / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D000076249:Heat Shock Transcription Factors; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D018869:Heat-Shock Response / Q000235:genetics*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000235:genetics; D000071436:Thermotolerance / Q000235:genetics*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D000076249:Heat Shock Transcription Factors; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors
keywords: Illumina sequencing; heat shock transcription factor; heat stress; octoploid cultivated strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch. cv. Toyonoka); thermotolerance; transcriptome