IJMS, Vol. 23, Pages 15396: Genome and Transcriptome-Wide Analysis of OsWRKY and OsNAC Gene Families in Oryza sativa and Their Response to White-Backed Planthopper Infestation (International Journal of Molecular Sciences)

Plants are threatened by a wide variety of herbivorous insect assaults, and display a variety of inherent and induced defenses that shield them against herbivore attacks. Looking at the massive damage caused by the white-backed planthopper (WBPH), Sogatella furcifera, we undertook a study to identify and functionally annotate OsWRKY and OsNAC transcription factors (TFs) in rice, especially their involvement in WBPH stress. OsWRKY and OsNAC TFs are involved in various developmental processes and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, no comprehensive reports are available on the specific phycological functions of most of the OsWRKY and OsNAC genes in rice during WBPH infestation. The current study aimed to comprehensively explore the OsWRKY and OsNAC genes by analyzing their phylogenetic relationships, subcellular localizations, exon–intron arrangements, conserved motif identities, chromosomal allocations, interaction networks and differential gene expressions during stress conditions. Comparative phylogenetic trees of 101 OsWRKY with 72 AtWRKY genes, and 121 OsNAC with 110 AtNAC genes were constructed to study relationships among these TFs across species. Phylogenetic relationships classified OsWRKY and OsNAC into eight and nine clades, respectively. Most TFs in the same clade had similar genomic features that represented similar functions, and had a high degree of co-expression. Some OsWRKYs (Os09g0417800 (OsWRKY62), Os11g0117600 (OsWRKY50), Os11g0117400 (OsWRKY104) and OsNACs (Os05g0442700, Os12g0630800, Os01g0862800 and Os12g0156100)) showed significantly higher expressions under WBPH infestation, based on transcriptome datasets. This study provides valuable information and clues about predicting the potential roles of OsWRKYs and OsNACs in rice, by combining their genome-wide characterization, expression profiling, protein–protein interactions and gene expressions under WBPH stress. These findings may require additional investigation to understand their metabolic and expression processes, and to develop rice cultivars that are resistant to WBPH.