甘蔗耐寒相关基因ScERF118的克隆与表达分析OA

[Purpose]This study cloned and characterized an ERF transcription factor gene associated with cold tolerance in sugar-cane,aiming to provide a candidate target for genetic improvement of sugarcane for cold tolerance.[Method]On the basis of a sug-arcane cold tolerance-associated ERF transcript previously identified by our population-based linkage mapping,the cDNA sequence of ScERF118 was obtained from the sugarcane cultivar YT93-159 via homology-based cloning.The physicochemical properties,phy-logenetic relationship,conserved domains,and promoter cis-acting elements(CREs)of the protein encoded by ScERF118 were ana-lyzed by bioinformatics tools.Expression profiles of the gene under various stress conditions were examined by transcriptomic data and RT-qPCR.Subcellular localization of ScERF118 was determined via a protoplast transient expression system.[Result]The cD-NA sequence of ScERF118 was 1 529 bp in length and contained an open reading frame of 1 053 bp,encoding 350 amino acid resi-dues.The predicted protein was an unstable,acidic,and hydrophilic protein without a signal peptide or transmembrane domain.Subcellular localization results showed that ScERF118 was localized to the nucleus.Phylogenetic analysis revealed that ScERF118 belonged to the B-1 subgroup of the ERF subfamily.The 14th alanine(A)and 19th asparagine(N)residues within the AP2 do-main were conserved across multiple species.The promoter region of the ScERF118 homologous gene contained abundant CREs re-sponsive toabscisic acid,ethylene,and methyl jasmonate,as well as low-temperature and drought stress-responsive elements such as DRE and LTR.Transcriptomic data showed that ScERF118 expression was very low across various sugarcane tissue samples but in-duced by low temperature,drought,and smut pathogen stresses.RT-qPCR validation demonstrated that the expression of ScERF118 was generally upregulated under low temperature stress,with a stronger response observed in cold-tolerant varieties than in cold-sen-sitive ones.[Conclusion]ScERF118 is a nuclear-localized,non-constitutively expressed transcription factor responsive to low tem-perature and other stress signals,potentially playing a regulatory role in the response to low temperature stress.This study lays a foundation for functional characterization of ScERF118 and provides a candidate target for cold tolerance breeding in sugarcane.