International Journal of Molecular Sciences: Research discovers key genes affecting abiotic stress in alfalfa

Recently, the scientific and technological innovation team for the protection and utilization of forage germplasm resources of the Beijing Institute of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences discovered that the key CBL-CIPK family genes that affect the abiotic stress response of alfalfa truncatula and alfalfa provide an important reference for genetic improvement of forage resistance.  Relevant research results were published in "International Journal of Molecular Sciences".

According to the team's chief researcher Pang Yongzhen, calcineurin B-like protein (CBL) and CBL interacting protein kinase (CIPK) are a family of interacting proteins involved in the regulation of plant stress. CBL protein is a unique calcium sensor in plant cells, which can specifically bind to CIPKs, transmit calcium signals under various stimuli, and jointly form a calcium-mediated CBL-CIPK network, thereby activating the production of relevant plant hormones and defense compounds to resist Adversity coercion. For the first time, the researchers conducted a comprehensive and systematic study of the CBL and CIPK genes by comparing the model forage alfalfa truncatula and cultivated forage alfalfa, and identified 23 CBL genes and 58 CIPK genes from the genomes of these two plants. Sequence analysis found that CBL and CIPK genes mostly exist in the plasma membrane of the cell, and they contain common protein conserved functional domains. Further research found that the promoter region of CBL and CIPK genes contains multiple cis-acting elements related to stress and hormones. CBL and CIPK genes can be expressed in a variety of different tissues, and their expression levels are affected by a variety of abiotic stresses and hormones. influences. Comprehensive data indicate that CBL and CIPK genes play an important role in the response to a variety of abiotic stresses in alfalfa. (Bioon.com)

Source: Beijing Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine