Identification of <i>DREB</i> Family Genes in Banana and Their Function under Drought and Cold Stress

• Published in: Plants
• Main Authors: Yi Xu, Yanshu Zhang, Funing Ma, Jingxi Zhao, Huiting Yang, Shun Song, Shaoling Zhang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2024-07-01
• Subjects: genome-wide; DREB; climate change; drought; cold
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/15/2119

Bananas are one of the most important cash crops in the tropics and subtropics. Drought and low-temperature stress affect the growth of banana. The <i>DREB</i> (dehydration responsive element binding protein) gene family, as one of the major transcription factor families, plays crucial roles in defense against abiotic stress. Currently, systematic analyses of the banana <i>DREB</i> (<i>MaDREB</i>) gene family have not yet been reported. In this study, 103 members of the <i>MaDREB</i> gene family were identified in the banana genome. In addition, transcriptomic analysis results revealed that <i>MaDREBs</i> responded to drought and cold stress. The expression of <i>MaDREB14/22/51</i> was induced by drought and cold stress; these geneswere selected for further analysis. The qRT-PCR validation results confirmed the transcriptome results. Additionally, transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing <i>MaDREB14/22/51</i> exhibited enhanced resistance to drought and cold stress by reducing MDA content and increasing PRO and soluble sugar content. This study enhances our understanding of the function of the <i>MaDREB</i> gene family, provides new insights into their regulatory role under abiotic stress, and lays a good foundation for improving drought and cold stress-tolerant banana verities.