A study of expression pattern of auxin response factor family genes in maize (Zea mays L.)

Abstract

<p indent=0mm>Auxin response factors (ARFs) are important transcription factors which control the expression of target genes by binding specifically to auxin response elements, and are involved in a series of developmental processes in plant species. In maize genome, dozens of <italic>ARF</italic> genes are encoded, however, there is little known on their expression patterns. In this study, the analysis on the expression level of <italic>ARF</italic> genes in diverse tissues and organs revealed that expression level of 32 <italic>ARF</italic> genes were higher in reproductive organs than that in vegetative organs, except <italic>ARF10</italic>, <italic>ARF16</italic>, and <italic>ARF34 </italic>constitutively expressed. The predicted results of<italic> cis</italic>-acting elements showed that the promoter regions of 28 <italic>ARF</italic> genes harbored the <italic>cis</italic>-regulatory elements related to abiotic stresses. Real-time quantitative PCR results indicated that expression of several <italic>ARF</italic> genes showed a response to cold, heat, and osmotic stresses, respectively. The results highlighted the importance of <italic>ARF</italic> family genes in reproductive growth and abiotic stress response, and provided useful information for the comprehensive analysis of the biological function of <italic>ARF</italic> genes in maize.