Genome-wide exploration and analysis of plant stress-responsive CAMTA transcription factor genes in Brachypodium distachyon and their expression patterns under environmental challenges

Calmodulin-binding transcription activators (CAMTAs) is a family of transcriptional factors, which are highly sensitive to various stressors and hormone signals. They are involved in regulating plant growth, development, stress response, and have distinct biological roles in different plant compartments. Although the gene families coding the CAMTA transcription factors have been identified and functionally characterized in many plant species, it has not been previously reported in Brachypodium distachyon, which is a model organism for genomic research in cereals and grasses. In the present study, seven novel CAMTA genes were identified in the B. distachyon genome, all of which contain the CG-1 (pfam03859) domain. Their sequence details were provided with exon numbers ranging from 10 to 13 and protein length varying from 836 to 1034 amino acid residues. All BdCAMTA proteins, except BdCAMTA1, were found to be acidic and localized to the nucleus. The BdCAMTA genes exhibit diverse responses to cold, drought, and salinity stresses, without being specific to any stress. Therefore, upcoming studies should prioritize the investigation of molecular mechanisms governing functional specificity and redundancy among individual members of CAMTA. These findings establish a valuable scientific foundation for future research concerning the roles of the CAMTA gene family in plants. (c) 2024 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.