Identification of AP2/ERF genes in apple (Malus × domestica) and demonstration that MdERF017 enhances iron deficiency tolerance

• Published in: Plant cell, tissue and organ culture Vol. 143; no. 2; pp. 465 - 482
• Main Authors: Cheng, Li, Zhao, Tong, Wu, Yu-Xia, Wang, Hai, Zhang, Zhong-Xing, Zhang, De, Wang, Shuang-Cheng, Wang, Yan-Xiu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01-11-2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Apples; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Crop production; Fruits; Gene expression; Genes; Genomes; Iron; Iron deficiency; Life Sciences; Malus domestica; Nicotiana tabacum; Nutrient deficiency; Phylogeny; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant Pathology; Plant Physiology; Plant Sciences; Research Note; Tobacco; Transcription; Iron deficiency; Apple; AP2 gene family
• ISSN: 0167-6857; 1573-5044
• DOI: 10.1007/s11240-020-01925-z

Iron (Fe) deficiency is one of the most common micronutrient deficiencies that limit crop production worldwide. Members of the AP2/ERF family play important roles in regulation of gene expression in response to many forms of stress, including Fe deficiency. Here, eight AP2/ERF genes that responded to Fe deficiency were identified in the apple (
Malus
 × 
domestica
) genome and their gene structures, putative conserved protein motifs, and phylogeny were analyzed. Expression profile analysis by quantitative real-time PCR confirmed that 8
MdERF
genes, including
MdERF017
, were induced by Fe deficiency. The maximum up-regulation of
MdERF017
under Fe deficiency was 7.6- and 5.3-folds in leaves and roots, respectively. Overexpression of
MdERF017
enhanced tolerance to Fe deficiency in transgenic apple calli and tobacco (
Nicotiana tabacum
L.). Taken together, our results demonstrate that
MdERF017
encodes an iron-responsive transcriptional activator and provide valuable information for further study of ERF functions in apple.