Discovery and expression assessment of the AP2-like genes in Hordeum vulgare

Barley is a cereal grain derived from annual grass. In modern agriculture, barley plays a significant role as feedstock for feed, malt and food. During its life cycle, as do most plants, barley faces numerous external challenges from the environment. Both biotic and abiotic stresses decrease the growth, yield and cultivation area of barley. Plants have to respond to biotic and abiotic stresses and environmental stimuli during their growth and developmental period. Transcriptional factors play essential roles in the process. In this article, we surveyed and comparatively analyzed AP2-like genes from H. vulgare. A total of 53 AP2-like genes were identified from a database of 480,830 records for H. vulgare-expressed sequence tags. Based on the number of AP2/ERF domains and putative gene functions, the AP2/ERF transcription factors from H. vulgare were classified into four subfamilies and a soloist. cDNA and deduced amino acid sequence, composition, physical and chemical characterization, conserved domain sequences and function domain were investigated, and phylogenetic tree was generated. Using the available EST information as a source of expression profile, those AP2-like genes from barley were detected in ten different tissues.