Identification and expression analysis of the DREB transcription factor family in pineapple ( (L.) Merr.).

Background: Dehydration responsive element-binding (DREB) transcription factors play a crucial role in plant growth, development and stress responses. Although genes have been characterized in many plant species, genome-wide identification of the gene family has not yet been reported in pineapple ( (L.) Merr.).

Results: Using comprehensive genome-wide screening, we identified 20 genes on 14 chromosomes. These were categorized into five subgroups. within a group had similar gene structures and domain compositions. Using gene structure analysis, we showed that most genes (75%) lacked introns, and that the promoter regions of all 20 genes had at least one stress response-related -element. We identified four genes with high expression levels and six genes with low expression levels in all analyzed tissues. We detected expression changes under abiotic stress for eight selected genes.

Conclusions: This report presents the first genome-wide analysis of the DREB transcription factor family in pineapple. Our results provide preliminary data for future functional analysis of genes in pineapple, and useful information for developing new pineapple varieties with key agronomic traits such as stress tolerance.