Genome-Wide Identification, Evolution, and Expression Analyses of AP2/ERF Family Transcription Factors in Erianthus fulvus

Abstract

The AP2/ERF transcription factor family is one of the most important gene families in plants and plays a vital role in plant abiotic stress responses. Although <i>Erianthus fulvus</i> is very important in the genetic improvement of sugarcane, there are few studies concerning <i>AP2/ERF</i> genes in <i>E. fulvus</i>. Here, we identified 145 <i>AP2/ERF</i> genes in the <i>E. fulvus</i> genome. Phylogenetic analysis classified them into five subfamilies. Evolutionary analysis showed that tandem and segmental duplication contributed to the expansion of the EfAP2/ERF family. Protein interaction analysis showed that twenty-eight EfAP2/ERF proteins and five other proteins had potential interaction relationships. Multiple cis-acting elements present in the <i>EfAP2/ERF</i> promoter were related to abiotic stress response, suggesting that <i>EfAP2/ERF</i> may contribute to adaptation to environmental changes. Transcriptomic and RT-qPCR analyses revealed that <i>EfDREB10</i>, <i>EfDREB11</i>, <i>EfDREB39</i>, <i>EfDREB42</i>, <i>EfDREB44</i>, <i>EfERF43</i>, and <i>EfAP2-13</i> responded to cold stress, <i>EfDREB5</i> and <i>EfDREB42</i> responded to drought stress, and <i>EfDREB5</i>, <i>EfDREB11</i>, <i>EfDREB39</i>, <i>EfERF43</i>, and <i>EfAP2-13</i> responded to ABA treatment. These results will be helpful for better understanding the molecular features and biological role of the <i>E. fulvus AP2/ERF</i> genes and lay a foundation for further research on the function of <i>EfAP2/ERF</i> genes and the regulatory mechanism of the abiotic stress response.