Characteristics and phylogeny of DREB gene subfamily in soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Meril]

Dehydration responsive element binding proteins (DREB) are transcription factors linked to cis-acting elements of the promoter region, which regulate plant gene expression in response to abiotic stress. In this study, 69 DREB gene sequences of soybean from NCBI belonging to 18 GmDREB (Glycine max DREB) genes of 1 to 8 copies distributed on 17 chromosomes were identified in which GmDREB3 has 8 copies and the rest consisted of 1 to 4 ones. The motif PTPEMAARAYDVAALALKGPSARLNFPEL containing 11 points associated with the promoter of functional genes existed in 4 main types with the most popular one RGRRWKERRWT found in 13/18 DREB proteins was regarded as the popular AP2 domain of DREB protein. The phylogenetic tree based on the nucleotide sequences of GmDREB genes and the amino acid sequences of the AP2 domain expresses the evolution and relationship of the DREB subfamily in soybean. This study provides comprehensive information about the DREB subfamily, which formed the basis for experimental analyses to clarify the function of some members of this subfamily.