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. 2025 Aug;320(Pt 4):145986.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.145986. Epub 2025 Jul 14.

Evolution of MYC-type bHLH transcription factors in green plants and functional role of inducer of CBF expression 1b from Liriodendron chinense in enhancing cold tolerance

Yuanlin Guan  1 , Han Wu  1 , Teja Manda  1 , Rongxue Li  1 , Ye Lu  2 , Min Gao  1 , Jisen Shi  2 , Jinhui Chen  3 , Liming Yang  4
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Evolution of MYC-type bHLH transcription factors in green plants and functional role of inducer of CBF expression 1b from Liriodendron chinense in enhancing cold tolerance

Yuanlin Guan et al. Int J Biol Macromol. 2025 Aug.

Abstract

Low temperature severely limits plant growth and productivity. The bHLH (Basic Helix -Loop-Helix) transcription factor family is pivotal in modulating plant responses to various stresses and regulating plant development. Among them, the evolutionary trajectory and functional roles of MYC-Type bHLH transcription factors remain incompletely understood. In this research, 29 plant genomes encompassing MYC-Type bHLH transcription factors were systematically analyzed. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that these transcription factors diverged from green algae and subsequently split into four distinct subfamilies. Notably, Clade D evolved into a unique ICE branch. In magnoliids, MYC-Type bHLH transcription factors displayed unique gene duplication patterns, and evidence suggested that the ICE1-CBF signaling pathway did not exist during the early evolution of ICE. This gene encodes a MYC-Type bHLH transcription factor that is highly responsive to low-temperature stress and localizes to the cell nucleus. Through heterologous expression in Arabidopsis thaliana and endogenous overexpression in Liriodendron chinense, it was demonstrated that overexpression of LcICE1b effectively enhanced plant cold tolerance. This was achieved by improving reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging. Additionally, transgenic plants exhibited enhanced cell-wall strength, enlarged vessels, and increased lignification compared to wild-type plants. These structural changes contributed to improved cold tolerance. Collectively, this study offers novel insights into the evolution of MYC-Type bHLH transcription factors and their role in cold stress adaptation in L. chinense. The results suggest that LcICE1b has the potential to be utilized as a genetic engineering approach to enhance the cold tolerance of L.chinense, which is of great importance for improving plant stress tolerance and promoting sustainable forestry development.

Keywords: Cold tolerance; ICE1; Liriodendron chinense; MYC-type bHLH.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest No conflict of interest exits in the submission of this manuscript, and it is approved by all authors for publication. I would like to declare on behalf of my co-authors that the work described is original research that has not been published previously, and not under consideration for publication elsewhere, in whole or in part. All the authors listed have approved the manuscript that is enclosed.

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