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| Analysis of WRKY24 Gene Family Members in Wheat (Triticum aestivum) and Their Responses to Low Temperature and 2,4-EBR Treatments |
| WANG Hao1,2, WANG Hua-Jun1,3, YAN Hong-Cai1,3, WANG Jun-Cheng1,3, ZHANG Hong1,3, SI Er-Jing1,3, YANG Ke1,3, MENG Ya-Xiong1,3, MA Xiao-Le1,3, LI Bao-Chun1,2,*, YAO Li-Rong1,3,* |
1 State Key Laboratory of Crop Science for Arid Habitats Co-constructed by the Province and Ministry/Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement and Germplasm Innovation, Lanzhou 730070, China;
2 College of Life Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China;
3 College of Agronomy, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China |
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Abstract WRKY24 plays an important role in regulating plant responses to abiotic stresses, particularly cold stress. However, limited information is available regarding the expression patterns of WRKY24 family members in wheat (Triticum aestivum) under low-temperature and 2,4-epibrassinolide (2,4-EBR) treatments. In this study, 6 members of the wheat WRKY24 family (TaWRKY24-1/2/3/4/5/6) were selected for systematic analysis using bioinformatic approaches and qRT-PCR. Their expression patterns were examined in strong tolerance to late spring cold stress wheat cultivar 'Ji Mai 22' and weak tolerance to late spring cold stress cultivar 'Ma Zha Mai'. The results showed that TaWRKY24-1/2/3 were located on chromosome 1 (1A, 1B, and 1D), whereas TaWRKY24-4/5/6 were located on chromosome 3 (3A, 3B, and 3D), and these 2 groups exhibited significant differences in predicted molecular weight and isoelectric point of the encoded proteins. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that wheat WRKY24 proteins were most closely related to rice (Oryza sativa) homologs, and that members within the same subfamily displayed distinct differences in motif composition and gene structure. Promoter analysis identified abundant cis-acting regulatory elements, including those responsive to abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellin (GA), methyl jasmonate (MeJA), light, low temperature, and drought stress, indicating that TaWRKY24 genes were regulated by multiple hormonal and environmental cues. qRT-PCR analysis showed that under low-temperature treatment, transcript levels of TaWRKY24-1 increased in both 'Ji Mai 22' and 'Ma Zha Mai', whereas TaWRKY24-2/3/4/6 exhibited reduced expression in both cultivars. Under combined low-temperature and 2,4-EBR treatment, transcript levels of TaWRKY24-1/3/4/5/6 were further elevated in both cultivars. These results revealed that the TaWRKY24 genes were regulated by various hormones and environmental factors, and under low-temperature stress and 2,4-EBR treatment, the expression patterns of different TaWRKY24 genes varied in strong and weak cold-resistant wheat varieties. This study provides a foundation for further elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying cold stress responses in wheat and for the potential utilization of WRKY24 family genes in cold-tolerance breeding.
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Received: 29 October 2025
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Corresponding Authors:
*libc@gsau.edu.com; ylr0384@163.com
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