{
  "abstract": "Annexins are a conserved family of calcium-dependent phospholipid-binding proteins that participate in diverse plant stress responses. However, the annexin gene family in Medicago sativa and the molecular mechanisms underlying annexin-mediated drought tolerance remain largely unexplored. In this study, 73 MsANN genes were identified in the alfalfa genome. Their phylogenetic relationships, synteny, conserved motifs, gene structures, and promoter cis-acting elements were systematically analyzed. Synteny analysis revealed 75 segmental/whole-genome duplication-associated gene pairs but no tandem duplications, indicating that large-scale duplication was the major driver of MsANN family expansion. The MsANN promoters contained ABA- and drought-responsive elements. Expression profiling identified MsANN22 as a strongly drought-responsive gene encoding a cytoplasm-localized protein. MsANN22 overexpression enhanced drought tolerance in both Arabidopsis thaliana and alfalfa: in A. thaliana, MsANN22 overexpression promoted seed germination under osmotic stress, whereas in alfalfa it enhanced antioxidant capacity, with superoxide dismutase and peroxidase activities reaching 1.38- and 1.70-fold those of wild-type plants, respectively. Consistently, MsANN22-overexpressing alfalfa accumulated approximately 20% less malondialdehyde than wild-type plants and exhibited reduced H2O2 and O2*- accumulation, as indicated by DAB and NBT staining. Yeast two-hybrid and luciferase complementation assays further supported physical interactions of MsANN22 with MsIAA and MsPR-10. These findings provide insight into the molecular mechanism by which MsANN22 mediates drought tolerance and offer a candidate gene for improving drought tolerance in alfalfa.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Shihezi University"
  ],
  "article_type": "New results",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 9,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Q. Xie"
    },
    {
      "name": "j. guangzhi"
    },
    {
      "name": "J. Wang"
    },
    {
      "name": "h. he"
    },
    {
      "name": "p. du"
    },
    {
      "name": "h. li"
    },
    {
      "name": "Z. Meng"
    },
    {
      "name": "q. shao"
    },
    {
      "name": "h. li"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5wbkmf9eafx6c.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.10.21.760862",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.21.760862v1.full",
  "id": "5wbkmf9eafx6c",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.21.760862v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-ND",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "biorxiv",
      "plant biology"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1110|Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223995220",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.21.760862v1.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-21",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5wbkmf9eafx6c.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:29:43Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.10.21.760862",
      "source": "biorxiv",
      "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.21.760862v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "biorxiv:plant biology",
      "subfield": "plant-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Genome-wide analysis of the annexin gene family in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and functional characterization of MsANN22 under drought stress",
  "title_text": "Genome-wide analysis of the annexin gene family in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and functional characterization of MsANN22 under drought stress",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:29:43Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5wbkmf9eafx6c",
  "venue": "bioRxiv",
  "versions": []
}