Anthocyanins are among the most important factors affecting the leaf colour of kale, and MYB proteins are key transcription factors regulating their synthesis in plants. In this study, purple-leaf kale ‘D07’ was used as a test material, and the complete coding sequence of BoMYB was determined by homologous cloning. Bioinformatics analysis showed that the cDNA sequence of the BoMYB coding region was 753 base pairs in length and encoded a predicted 250-amino acid protein with a mass of 25 kDa and an isoelectric point of 9.08. The BoMYB protein was predicted to contain two MYB conserved domains and to be localized in the cell nucleus. A phylogenetic tree indicated that the amino acid sequence encoded by BoMYB in kale was most closely related to the MYB protein sequence of Brassica napus. The expression patterns of BoMYB were evaluated in different tissues of ‘D07’ by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, and the results showed that BoMYB was expressed in kale roots, stems, inner leaves, and outer leaves. However, the expression levels were tissue specific and correlated with the anthocyanin content in each tissue. To confirm the effect of BoMYB on anthocyanin synthesis and accumulation, ectopic expression in Arabidopsis was performed. Morphological observation showed that overexpression of BoMYB increased the accumulation of anthocyanidins in transgenic Arabidopsis. Thus, BoMYB may encode an MYB transcription factor, which positively regulates the synthesis of anthocyanins in kale.

China’s southwest mountainous region is one of the hotspots of biodiversity in the world. However, the study on the pattern of species richness distribution of endemic plants in this region and its influencing factors is still in the exploration stage. A clear regional spatial distribution pattern of plants and its influencing factors are very important for the protection and management of plant diversity in southwest China. In this study, 511 county-level regions in the southwest mountainous region were taken as examples to establish a plant species resource bank in the southwest mountainous region, and the distribution pattern of the proportion and abundance of endemic plant families and genera was analyzed based on 19 climate and environmental factors and 8 human disturbance factors in the southwest mountainous region. The geographical weighted regression model (GWR) was used to reveal the main factors affecting the spatial distribution of species. The results showed that: (1) A total of 4688 species investigated in the southwest mountain belong to 19 families and 32 genera. (2) The endemic species richness in the southwest mountainous region showed a significant uneven spatial pattern, mainly concentrated in the Heng Duan Mountain area, southwest Sichuan and northern Yunnan area, and the Ruoergai-Hongyuan area of West Sichuan Plateau. (3) The results of the GWR model showed that the diurnal mean temperature range, precipitation seasonality and distance from the main road had significant effects on species richness. The study on the distribution of endemic genera and their influencing factors in the southwest mountainous region has important implications for the exploration of the evolutionary history and species conservation of the mountain flora.

WRKY proteins are a class of transcription factors involved in plant growth and development, biotic and abiotic stress, and other biological processes. In order to systematically study the structure and function of WRKY proteins in cabbage, we used the whole genome sequence of cabbage in the Brassica database (BRAD) and bioinformatics methods. A total of 150 WRKY genes were identified in cabbage, named BolWRKY1-BolWRKY150. These genes were unevenly distributed on 9 chromosomes. In this study, the WRKY proteins were classified into three classes: I, II and III. Cis-acting elements analysis showed that the BolWRKY gene was involved in multiple hormone and stress responses. The protein interaction network analysis suggested that BolWRKY19/100/105 genes might play similar functions in the same stress response. Based on transcriptome data analysis, we found that different BolWRKY genes showed tissue-specific expression. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that several BolWRKY genes were strongly induced by drought stress and ABA (abscisic acid) treatment, indicating members of BolWRKY gene family were closely related to the stress responses such as drought. Our study lays a foundation for further understanding the regulatory mechanism and function of the WRKY gene in response to abiotic stress.

Soil salinisation is a growing threat to global agriculture, reducing crop yields. Brassicaceae crops are vital vegetables and cash crops. Salt stress significantly affects the growth and development of Brassicaceae crops. A better understanding of the molecular and physiological mechanisms of salt tolerance is of theoretical and practical importance to improve Brassicaceae crop’s salt tolerance and crop quality. Combined with previous research results, we discuss recent advances in research on salt stress response and salt tolerance in Brassicaceae crops. We summarised recent research progress on the physiological and molecular mechanisms of ionic homeostasis, antioxidant regulation, hormonal regulation and accumulation of osmotic-adjustment substances. We also discussed the molecular mechanism of Brassicaceae crop salt tolerant varieties from the perspective of differentially expressed genes, differentially expressed proteins and metabolites through transcriptome, proteome and metabonomic analysis methods. This paper summarises the molecular mechanisms in the perspective of differentially expressed genes, differentially expressed proteins, and metabolites through transcriptomic, proteome and metabolomics analysis. The review provides abundant data for accelerating the breeding of salt-tolerant Brassicaceae and laid a foundation for understanding the mechanism of salt tolerance of Brassicaceae crops and breeding salt-tolerance varieties.