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<p>Abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, and osmotic imbalance threaten global wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i> L.) yields, yet the transcription-factor networks that underpin adaptive responses remain incompletely resolved. Here, we present the first integrative atlas of wheat GATA transcription factors (TaGATAs) in the context of abiotic stress. Hidden-Markov-Model mining of the reference genome uncovered 24 non-redundant TaGATA loci scattered across all 21 chromosomes. Phylogenetic reconstruction with grass orthologues resolves four canonical sub-families and highlights recent, wheat-specific segmental duplications that generated stress-inducible paralogue clusters. Physicochemical profiling reveals two discrete size classes that differ by a ~ 45 Da acidic insertion, depressing the mean isoelectric point from 5.66 to 4.37 and doubling hydrophilicity, traits predicted to modulate chromatin affinity and protein mobility. Conserved motif analysis confirms universal retention of the CX₂CX₁₈-₂₀CX₂C zinc-finger, but clade-specific accessory motifs map to serine-rich plastid-import patches, Lys/Arg-rich histone-binding segments, and hydrophobic stretches linked to non-classical secretion. Subcellular localisation forecasts a core nuclear residency intertwined with chloroplast, mitochondrial, and occasional extracellular routes, supporting a model in which TaGATAs synchronise nuclear transcription with metabolic status and intercellular signalling. Promoter scans identify dense clusters of ABRE, MBS, and LTR elements, while RNA-seq meta-analysis across 42 public datasets separates the family into drought/salt-inducible, salt-specific, PEG-responsive, constitutive, and stress-repressed cohorts. We profiled the expression of the wheat <i>TaGATA21</i> transcription-factor gene during salinity, heat, PEG-drought, and combined heat and drought stress at 0, 6, 12, 24, and 36 h. Quantitative RT-PCR of three-leaf seedlings revealed a biphasic pattern: heat and the combined regime triggered abrupt 4–fivefold surges within 6 h, whereas salinity and drought produced slower, monotonic increases that peaked at 24–36 h. All genes reached comparable ceilings (≈3–fivefold), and the combined treatment showed additive induction, indicating convergent promoter control by thermal and osmotic pathways. These kinetics position <i>TaGATA21</i> as an integrator of early shock and sustained adaptation, making it an attractive target for breeding wheat cultivars with broad, multistage stress resilience.</p>

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Genome-wide characterization of wheat GATA transcription factors and their differential expression under drought, salinity, and temperature extremes

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月7日

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  • Khairiah Mubarak Alwutayd,
  • Ashwag Shami,
  • Ahmad M. Alqudah,
  • Samar G. Thabet

摘要

Abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, and osmotic imbalance threaten global wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yields, yet the transcription-factor networks that underpin adaptive responses remain incompletely resolved. Here, we present the first integrative atlas of wheat GATA transcription factors (TaGATAs) in the context of abiotic stress. Hidden-Markov-Model mining of the reference genome uncovered 24 non-redundant TaGATA loci scattered across all 21 chromosomes. Phylogenetic reconstruction with grass orthologues resolves four canonical sub-families and highlights recent, wheat-specific segmental duplications that generated stress-inducible paralogue clusters. Physicochemical profiling reveals two discrete size classes that differ by a ~ 45 Da acidic insertion, depressing the mean isoelectric point from 5.66 to 4.37 and doubling hydrophilicity, traits predicted to modulate chromatin affinity and protein mobility. Conserved motif analysis confirms universal retention of the CX₂CX₁₈-₂₀CX₂C zinc-finger, but clade-specific accessory motifs map to serine-rich plastid-import patches, Lys/Arg-rich histone-binding segments, and hydrophobic stretches linked to non-classical secretion. Subcellular localisation forecasts a core nuclear residency intertwined with chloroplast, mitochondrial, and occasional extracellular routes, supporting a model in which TaGATAs synchronise nuclear transcription with metabolic status and intercellular signalling. Promoter scans identify dense clusters of ABRE, MBS, and LTR elements, while RNA-seq meta-analysis across 42 public datasets separates the family into drought/salt-inducible, salt-specific, PEG-responsive, constitutive, and stress-repressed cohorts. We profiled the expression of the wheat TaGATA21 transcription-factor gene during salinity, heat, PEG-drought, and combined heat and drought stress at 0, 6, 12, 24, and 36 h. Quantitative RT-PCR of three-leaf seedlings revealed a biphasic pattern: heat and the combined regime triggered abrupt 4–fivefold surges within 6 h, whereas salinity and drought produced slower, monotonic increases that peaked at 24–36 h. All genes reached comparable ceilings (≈3–fivefold), and the combined treatment showed additive induction, indicating convergent promoter control by thermal and osmotic pathways. These kinetics position TaGATA21 as an integrator of early shock and sustained adaptation, making it an attractive target for breeding wheat cultivars with broad, multistage stress resilience.