Identification, Expression, and Functional Study of Seven NAC Transcription Factor Genes Involved in Stress Response in Tartary Buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum (L.) Gaertn.)

Plant NAC transcription factors play vital roles in diverse biological processes, especially in response to stress. However, only a limited number of the FtNAC genes have been cloned and functionally analyzed in Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum (L.) Gaertn.), which is a coarse grain crop that is highly resistant to abiotic stress. Here, we identified seven Tartary buckwheat FtNAC genes, namely FtNAC11, FtNAC12, FtNAC26, FtNAC28, FtNAC65, FtNAC70, and FtNAC78. Multiple-sequence alignments revealed that all of them contained the conserved NAM domain, which consisted of the A, B, C, D, and E subdomains. Seven NAC proteins were classified into six subgroups based on phylogenetic analyses. Cis-acting regulatory elements analyses (CARE) indicated that there were numerous CAREs related to biotic and abiotic responses and hormone responses in the promoters of FtNAC genes. qRT-PCR showed that they were tissue-specifically expressed and could be induced by four out of six treatments, namely PEG, NaCl, cold, MeJA, ABA, and GA, implying that they were abiotic and hormone responsive. Among these, FtNAC70 was the most strongly induced gene and could be induced by all six treatments. Meanwhile, FtNAC70-overexpressed Arabidopsis showed more resistance to salt and drought. The identification, phylogenetics, expression, and functional study of seven stress-responsive FtNAC genes laid a foundation for further research on the molecular mechanism of abiotic stress regulated by NAC TFs in Tartary buckwheat.

Automated summary

In this study, seven stress-responsive FtNAC genes were identified in Tartary buckwheat and their origin, expression, and function were investigated. The results showed that these genes play important roles in abiotic stress and hormone response, and have the potential to enhance plant resistance to salt stress and drought. These findings provide a foundation for further research on the molecular mechanism of abiotic stress regulated by NAC transcription factors in Tartary buckwheat.