In silico analysis of maize HDACs with an emphasis on their response to biotic and abiotic stresses

Abstract

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are key epigenetic factors in regulating chromatin structure and gene expression in multiple aspects of plant growth, development, and response to abiotic or biotic stresses. Many studies on systematic analysis and molecular function of HDACs in Arabidopsis and rice have been conducted. However, systematic analysis of HDAC gene family and gene expression in response to abiotic and biotic stresses has not yet been reported. In this study, a systematic analysis of the HDAC gene family in maize was performed and 18 ZmHDACs distributed on nine chromosomes were identified. Phylogenetic analysis of ZmHDACs showed that this gene family could be divided into RPD3/HDA1, SIR2, and HD2 groups. Tissue-specific expression results revealed that ZmHDACs exhibited diverse expression patterns in different tissues, indicating that these genes might have diversified functions in growth and development. Expression pattern of ZmHDACs in hormone treatment and inoculation experiment suggested that several ZmHDACs might be involved in jasmonic acid or salicylic acid signaling pathway and defense response. Interestingly, HDAC genes were downregulated under heat stress, and immunoblotting results demonstrated that histones H3K9ac and H4K5ac levels were increased under heat stress. These results provide insights into ZmHDACs, which could help to reveal their functions in controlling maize development and responses to abiotic or biotic stresses.