Integrative characterization of the heat shock transcription factors in Acorus: evolution and heat-responsive regulatory patterns
- 1Fujian Health College
- 2College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University
- 3College of Pharmacy, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Abstract
With global climate change driving rising temperatures, the persistence and physiological performance of Acorus are increasingly threatened, highlighting the importance of understanding its molecular responses to heat stress. Heat shock transcription factors (HSFs) constitute a major family of transcriptional regulators involved in plant heat-stress responses and thermotolerance. Here, we identified 39 and 20 HSF genes in Acorus calamus and A. gramineus . Conserved motif and domain analyses revealed subfamily-specific structural features, while comparative synteny suggested that polyploidy and differential gene retention contributed to HSF family expansion in A. calamus . Subgenome-level analysis revealed no obvious difference in HSF gene number between subgenomes, whereas retained homeolog pairs exhibited tissue-dependent expression divergence. Promoter, predicted protein–protein interaction, and GO enrichment analyses linked AgHSFs to stress regulation and heat-response networks. Integrated analysis of time-series expression profiles, differential expression, weighted gene co-expression networks, and qRT-PCR revealed diverse temporal responses among AgHSFs and supported AgHSF07, AgHSF12, and AgHSF20 as strongly heat-responsive candidates for further characterization. AgHSF07 and AgHSF12 showed mainly nuclear YFP signals and strong autoactivation in the yeast system, supporting their potential roles as transcriptional activators. Together, this integrated genomic–transcriptomic framework provides insights into HSF evolution and heat-response regulation in Acorus and highlights AgHSF07 and AgHSF12 as promising candidate regulators for further functional studies of thermotolerance.
Related
- Multi‐Omics Analysis Uncovers the Salicylic Acid and Ethylene‐Responsive Transcription Factor‐Mediated Defence Mechanism of Panax notoginseng to Panax notoginseng Virus Y
- A phosphorylation-gated GAPDH-MAPK6-LBD1 module controls drought-responsive transcription
- Transcription factors read a second regulatory code in chromatin
- Emotional Crying as a Dynamic Multilevel Regulatory Process: A Scoping Review and Integrative Framework
- Integrative whole-transcriptome analysis of circRNAs, lncRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs reveals regulatory networks in mouse brain during Toxoplasma gondii infection
BibTeX
@article{ma2026integrative,
title = {{Integrative characterization of the heat shock transcription factors in Acorus: evolution and heat-responsive regulatory patterns}},
author = {Liang Ma and Cheng-Yuan Zhou and Yao He and Houhua Fu and Chenyu Gong and Yu Chen and Zhong-Jian Liu and Shipin Chen},
journal = {Frontiers in Plant Science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpls.2026.1974158},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1974158/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Integrative characterization of the heat shock transcription factors in Acorus: evolution and heat-responsive regulatory patterns
AU - Liang Ma
AU - Cheng-Yuan Zhou
AU - Yao He
AU - Houhua Fu
AU - Chenyu Gong
AU - Yu Chen
AU - Zhong-Jian Liu
AU - Shipin Chen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
JO - Frontiers in Plant Science
DO - 10.3389/fpls.2026.1974158
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1974158/full
AB - With global climate change driving rising temperatures, the persistence and physiological performance of Acorus are increasingly threatened, highlighting the importance of understanding its molecular responses to heat stress. Heat shock transcription factors (HSFs) constitute a major family of transcriptional regulators involved in plant heat-stress responses and thermotolerance. Here, we identified 39 and 20 HSF genes in Acorus calamus and A. gramineus . Conserved motif and domain analyses revealed subfamily-specific structural features, while comparative synteny suggested that polyploidy and differential gene retention contributed to HSF family expansion in A. calamus . Subgenome-level analysis revealed no obvious difference in HSF gene number between subgenomes, whereas retained homeolog pairs exhibited tissue-dependent expression divergence. Promoter, predicted protein–protein interaction, and GO enrichment analyses linked AgHSFs to stress regulation and heat-response networks. Integrated analysis of time-series expression profiles, differential expression, weighted gene co-expression networks, and qRT-PCR revealed diverse temporal responses among AgHSFs and supported AgHSF07, AgHSF12, and AgHSF20 as strongly heat-responsive candidates for further characterization. AgHSF07 and AgHSF12 showed mainly nuclear YFP signals and strong autoactivation in the yeast system, supporting their potential roles as transcriptional activators. Together, this integrated genomic–transcriptomic framework provides insights into HSF evolution and heat-response regulation in Acorus and highlights AgHSF07 and AgHSF12 as promising candidate regulators for further functional studies of thermotolerance.
SN - 1664-462X
ER -