Identification and characterization of the MAPK genes in sorghum and their expression in response to aphid infestation

Identification and characterization of the MAPK genes in sorghum and their expression in response to aphid infestation | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Identification and characterization of the MAPK genes in sorghum and their expression in response to aphid infestation Saima Sadia, Kumar Shrestha, Yinghua Huang This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8413006/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are key signaling molecules involved in plant growth, development, and defense. This study presents a genome-wide analysis of MAPK genes in sorghum, focusing on their role in plant defense against insects and pathogens. We identified 19 distinct MAPKs in the sorghum genome through comprehensive bioinformatic analysis, examining sequence alignment, gene structures, conserved motifs, and phylogenetic relationships. Phylogenetic analysis classified SbMAPK family members into four subfamilies (A, B, C, and D), with subfamilies A containing TEY motifs, B featuring both TEY and MEY motifs, C comprising both TEY and TDY motifs and D possessing TDY motifs. Evolutionary analysis suggested that tandem duplication and strong purifying selection played a crucial role in the expansion of the MAPK family in sorghum. Promoter analysis revealed that most SbMAPK s contain cis-regulatory elements associated with plant hormones and responses to biotic and abiotic stress. Furthermore, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis demonstrated that nine SbMAPK genes responded to aphid infestation, highlighting their potential involvement in sorghum defense mechanisms. Overall, these findings enhance our understanding of MAPK gene evolution in sorghum and their functional roles in host defense against aphids. aphid biotic stress insect resistance mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling molecule Sorghum bicolor Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files SupplementaryTables.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8413006","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":595027244,"identity":"132418d7-1e74-4e4a-8d91-84c0f78c2678","order_by":0,"name":"Saima Sadia","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Oklahoma State University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Saima","middleName":"","lastName":"Sadia","suffix":""},{"id":595027245,"identity":"0f5d53be-6f4d-47c2-b886-a86a492b212b","order_by":1,"name":"Kumar Shrestha","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Oklahoma State University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kumar","middleName":"","lastName":"Shrestha","suffix":""},{"id":595027246,"identity":"5062a59e-b1d6-4808-b877-89f77af92488","order_by":2,"name":"Yinghua Huang","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABAUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACZjBiYDAA8yqA+ABpWs4Qo4UBWQtjGxFaDI7zHn5d2GbHYC6R/Ozh13mH7fmOH2B+8bENj5bDfGnWM9uSGSxnpJkby247nDjzTAKb5Uy8WnjMjHnbmBkMbiSYSUtuO5xgcCCBzZjnDEEt9UAt6d+kJecctjc4/4CgFuPHvG2HgVpyzCQ/Nhxm3HAjgfkxTwVuLZJAW5h5zh3nMTjzpkya4Vh64swbD9sYZ+DRwnf+jPFnnrJqOYPj6dskf9RY2/OdTz784YMBbi0KBxjYJIA0D4jDDCaBsSOBWwMDg3wDA/MHGIfxB4RGiIyCUTAKRsEoAAIAsplT4hIUIosAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Agricultural Research Service","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yinghua","middleName":"","lastName":"Huang","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-12-20 15:08:29","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8413006/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8413006/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":104571968,"identity":"cdd42941-fb43-4a73-a733-fe7c5588610e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-13 12:56:23","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1634981,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"SorghumMAPKgenefamilyupdated.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8413006/v1_covered_3c709166-c15c-4728-b6ff-397c6ea16614.pdf"},{"id":103295796,"identity":"cc50442d-18b1-4906-9e35-1da1f96c07ad","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-24 07:12:25","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":38996,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"SupplementaryTables.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8413006/v1/fc16c58e04f522bb1e13bcd1.docx"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Identification and characterization of the MAPK genes in sorghum and their expression in response to aphid infestation","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"aphid, biotic stress, insect resistance, mitogen-activated protein kinase, signaling molecule, Sorghum bicolor","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8413006/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8413006/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eMitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are key signaling molecules involved in plant growth, development, and defense. This study presents a genome-wide analysis of MAPK genes in sorghum, focusing on their role in plant defense against insects and pathogens. We identified 19 distinct MAPKs in the sorghum genome through comprehensive bioinformatic analysis, examining sequence alignment, gene structures, conserved motifs, and phylogenetic relationships. Phylogenetic analysis classified \u003cem\u003eSbMAPK\u003c/em\u003e family members into four subfamilies (A, B, C, and D), with subfamilies A containing TEY motifs, B featuring both TEY and MEY motifs, C comprising both TEY and TDY motifs and D possessing TDY motifs. Evolutionary analysis suggested that tandem duplication and strong purifying selection played a crucial role in the expansion of the MAPK family in sorghum. Promoter analysis revealed that most \u003cem\u003eSbMAPK\u003c/em\u003es contain cis-regulatory elements associated with plant hormones and responses to biotic and abiotic stress. Furthermore, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis demonstrated that nine \u003cem\u003eSbMAPK\u003c/em\u003e genes responded to aphid infestation, highlighting their potential involvement in sorghum defense mechanisms. Overall, these findings enhance our understanding of MAPK gene evolution in sorghum and their functional roles in host defense against aphids.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Identification and characterization of the MAPK genes in sorghum and their expression in response to aphid infestation","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-02-24 07:11:50","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8413006/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"4975e999-d0f2-407f-af9f-6095d3f7ddff","owner":[],"postedDate":"February 24th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-03-13T12:55:31+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-02-24 07:11:50","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8413006","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8413006","identity":"rs-8413006","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}