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Comparative Genomic Analysis and Expression Profiling under Cold Stress of NAC Transcription Factors in Rosaceae

장미과 작물 NAC 전사인자군의 비교 유전체 및 저온 스트레스 발현 분석

Hyeon Su Hwang1†
,
Hye Jeong Cho1†
,
Minseok Lee1
,
Jun Hyeok Kim1
,
Seungill Kim1*
황 현수1†
,
조 혜정1†
,
이 민석1
,
김 준혁1
,
김 승일1*
1Department of Environmental Horticulture, University of Seoul, Seoul, 02504, Republic of Korea
1서울시립대학교 환경원예학과
*Corresponding Author
†These authors contributed equally to this work.
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Abstract

The NAC gene family consists of plant-specific transcription factors that regulate organ development and stress responses. Despite their biological importance, NAC genes remain poorly characterized in Rosaceae crops. In this study, we re-annotated NAC genes in apple (Malus domestica), pear (Pyrus pyrifolia), Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), and rice (Oryza sativa). A total of 677 NAC genes were identified, including 92 newly annotated genes. Of these, 46 (50.0%) were in apple and 36 (39.1%) in pear, indicating that the majority of newly identified genes are specific to Rosaceae crops. A gene ontology analysis revealed that NAC genes are primarily associated with transcriptional regulation and DNA binding, consistent with their role as transcription factors. Analyses of the domain architecture and sequence conservation showed that several subdomains within the NAC domain are highly conserved across species. Motif and phylogenetic analyses classified NAC genes into nine subfamilies, with lineage-specific expansions observed in apple and pear. An expression analysis under cold stress in pear identified differentially expressed NAC genes co-expressed with cold tolerance-related genes, suggesting their potential regulatory roles. These results provide a comprehensive characterization of NAC genes in Rosaceae and offer a valuable resource for future functional and breeding studies.

Keywords
expression analysis
Malus domestica
Pyrus pyrifolia
re-annotation
subdomain architecture

NAC 유전자군은 식물 특이적인 전사인자로서 기관 발달과 스트레스 반응 조절에 중요한 역할을 한다. 그러나 장미과 작물의 NAC 유전자에 대한 연구는 아직 미흡하다. 본 연구에서는 주요 장미과 작물인 사과(Malus domestica)와 배(Pyrus pyrifolia), 모델 식물인 애기장대(Arabidopsis thaliana)와 벼(Oryza sativa)의 유전체 정보를 기반으로 NAC 유전자군을 재동정하였고, 총 677개의 NAC 유전자를 확인하였다. 이 중 92개는 새롭게 동정된 유전자로, 사과에서 46개(50.0%), 배에서 36개(39.1%)가 확인되어 대부분이 장미과 작물에 존재함을 확인하였다. Gene Ontology 분석 결과, NAC 유전자들은 주로 전사 조절 및 DNA 결합 기능과 관련되어 있었으며, 이는 전사인자로서의 일반적 특성과 일치하였다. 또한 NAC 도메인의 구조 및 서열 보존도 분석을 통해 특정 서브도메인이 종 간에 높게 보존되어 있음을 확인하였다. 모티프 및 계통 분석을 통해 NAC 유전자군을 9개의 하위 그룹으로 분류하였으며, 사과와 배에서는 특정 그룹에서 유의미한 유전자 확장이 관찰되었다. 배를 대상으로 수행한 저온 스트레스 조건의 발현 분석에서는 다수의 NAC 유전자가 차등 발현되었고, 저온 내성과 관련된 유전자들과의 공동 발현 양상이 나타나 이들의 기능적 역할 가능성을 시사하였다. 본 연구는 장미과 작물의 NAC 유전자에 대한 포괄적인 정보를 제공하며, 향후 기능 분석 및 육종 연구의 기초 자료로 활용될 수 있을 것이다.

키워드
배
사과
서브도메인 구조
유전자 발현 분석
유전자 재동정
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Information
  • Publisher :KOREAN SOCIETY FOR HORTICULTURAL SCIENCE
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국원예학회
  • Journal Title :Horticultural Science and Technology
  • Journal Title(Ko) :원예과학기술지
  • Received Date : 2025-07-08
  • Revised Date : 2025-09-08
  • Accepted Date : 2025-09-09
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.7235/HORT.20250065
Journal Informaiton Horticultural Science and Technology Horticultural Science and Technology
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