OPEN ACCESS ARTICLE

This Article Free via Open Access: OA OA Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplemental Data OA All Versions of this Article: 146/2/333    most recent pp.107.112821v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Web of Science (15) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Nijhawan, A. Articles by Khurana, J. P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Nijhawan, A. Articles by Khurana, J. P. Agricola Articles by Nijhawan, A. Articles by Khurana, J. P.

GENOME ANALYSIS

Genomic Survey and Gene Expression Analysis of the Basic Leucine Zipper Transcription Factor Family in Rice^1,[W],[OA]

Interdisciplinary Centre for Plant Genomics and Department of Plant Molecular Biology, University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi 110021, India

The basic leucine (Leu) zipper (bZIP) proteins compose a family of transcriptional regulators present exclusively in eukaryotes. The bZIP proteins characteristically harbor a bZIP domain composed of two structural features: a DNA-binding basic region and the Leu zipper dimerization region. They have been shown to regulate diverse plant-specific phenomena, including seed maturation and germination, floral induction and development, and photomorphogenesis, and are also involved in stress and hormone signaling. We have identified 89 bZIP transcription factor-encoding genes in the rice (Oryza sativa) genome. Their chromosomal distribution and sequence analyses suggest that the bZIP transcription factor family has evolved via gene duplication. The phylogenetic relationship among rice bZIP domains as well as with bZIP domains from other plant bZIP factors suggests that homologous bZIP domains exist in plants. Similar intron/exon structural patterns were observed in the basic and hinge regions of their bZIP domains. Detailed sequence analysis has been done to identify additional conserved motifs outside the bZIP domain and to predict their DNA-binding site specificity as well as dimerization properties, which has helped classify them into different groups and subfamilies, respectively. Expression of bZIP transcription factor-encoding genes has been analyzed by full-length cDNA and expressed sequence tag-based expression profiling. This expression profiling was complemented by microarray analysis. The results indicate specific or coexpression patterns of rice bZIP transcription factors starting from floral transition to various stages of panicle and seed development. bZIP transcription factor-encoding genes in rice also displayed differential expression patterns in rice seedlings in response to abiotic stress and light irradiation. An effort has been made to link the structure and expression pattern of bZIP transcription factor-encoding genes in rice to their function, based on the information obtained from our analyses and earlier known results. This information will be important for functional characterization of bZIP transcription factors in rice.

The author responsible for distribution of materials integral to the findings presented in this article in accordance with the policy described in the Instructions for Authors (www.plantphysiol.org) is: Jitendra P. Khurana (khuranaj{at}genomeindia.org).

^[W] The online version of this article contains Web-only data.

^[OA] Open Access article can be viewed online without a subscription.

www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/doi/10.1104/pp.107.112821

^* Corresponding author; e-mail khuranaj{at}genomeindia.org.

Received November 7, 2007; accepted November 28, 2007; published December 7, 2007.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. Narsai, K. A. Howell, A. Carroll, A. Ivanova, A. H. Millar, and J. Whelan Defining Core Metabolic and Transcriptomic Responses to Oxygen Availability in Rice Embryos and Young Seedlings Plant Physiology, September 1, 2009; 151(1): 306 - 322. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Nakashima, Y. Ito, and K. Yamaguchi-Shinozaki Transcriptional Regulatory Networks in Response to Abiotic Stresses in Arabidopsis and Grasses Plant Physiology, January 1, 2009; 149(1): 88 - 95. [Full Text] [PDF]

				Y. Xiang, N. Tang, H. Du, H. Ye, and L. Xiong Characterization of OsbZIP23 as a Key Player of the Basic Leucine Zipper Transcription Factor Family for Conferring Abscisic Acid Sensitivity and Salinity and Drought Tolerance in Rice Plant Physiology, December 1, 2008; 148(4): 1938 - 1952. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Hirano, K. Aya, T. Hobo, H. Sakakibara, M. Kojima, R. A. Shim, Y. Hasegawa, M. Ueguchi-Tanaka, and M. Matsuoka Comprehensive Transcriptome Analysis of Phytohormone Biosynthesis and Signaling Genes in Microspore/Pollen and Tapetum of Rice Plant Cell Physiol., October 1, 2008; 49(10): 1429 - 1450. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]