CONSERVED TRANSCRIPTIONAL RESPONSES TO SALT AND WATER STRESS IN OIL PALM (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) LEAF TISSUES

Abiotic stresses negatively impact oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) cultivation.Transcription factors (TFs) are essential proteins regulating gene expression in plants.While numerous TF gene families are implicated in plant responses to abiotic stress, their specific roles in oil palm's drought and salinity responses remain largely unexplored.This study aimed to get insights into the TFs' involvement in the oil palm's response to these stresses.Twenty TF genes, classified into four families (MYB, HD-ZIP, NF-Y and HSFF) and exhibiting strong co-expression under both salinity and drought conditions, were selected for in-depth analysis.Such behaviour suggests a shared regulatory mechanism for abiotic stress responses.Promoter analysis revealed the presence of known stress-responsive cis-regulatory elements, while sequence homology analysis indicated functional conservation with stress-tolerance genes in other plants.Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) validated RNA-Seq expression profiles for 19 of the 20 selected genes.While these findings offer promising avenues for genetic modification, a cautious approach is necessary.Understanding the complex regulatory networks of these TFs and their potential side effects is crucial to avoid unintended consequences.Future study should focus on the functional validation of these TFs and integrate this knowledge with potential inherent tolerance mechanisms to develop resilient oil palm cultivars.