Genome-Wide Analysis of AP2/ERF Gene Superfamily in Ramie (Boehmeria nivea L.) Revealed Their Synergistic Roles in Regulating Abiotic Stress Resistance and Ramet Development

AP2/ERF transcription factors (TFs) are one of the largest superfamilies in plants, and play vital roles in growth and response to biotic/abiotic stresses. Although the AP2/ERF family has been extensively characterized in many species, very little is known about this family in ramie (Boehmeria nivea L.). In this study, 138 AP2/ERF TFs were identified from the ramie genome and were grouped into five subfamilies, including the AP2 (19), RAV (5), Soloist (1), ERF (77), and DREB (36). Unique motifs were found in the DREB/ERF subfamily members, implying significance to the AP2/ERF TF functions in these evolutionary branches. Segmental duplication events were found to play predominant roles in the BnAP2/ERF TF family expansion. Light-, stress-, and phytohormone-responsive elements were identified in the promoter region of BnAP2/ERF genes, with abscisic acid response elements (ABRE), methyl jasmonate response elements, and the dehydration response element (DRE) being dominant. The integrated transcriptome and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) revealed 12 key BnAP2/ERF genes positively responding to waterlogging. Five of the genes are also involved in ramet development, with two (BnERF-30 and BnERF-32) further showing multifunctional roles. The protein interaction prediction analysis further verified their crosstalk mechanism in coordinating waterlogging resistance and ramet development. Our study provides new insights into the presence of AP2/ERF TFs in ramie, and provides candidate AP2/ERF TFs for further studies on breeding varieties with coupling between water stress tolerance and high yield.

Automated summary

This study identified 138 AP2/ERF transcription factors from the ramie genome, revealing unique motifs and promoter elements in different subfamilies, highlighting their importance in growth and stress responses. Twelve key genes positively responded to waterlogging, with five genes also involved in ramet development, suggesting their potential roles in breeding varieties with water stress tolerance and high yield.