Evolution of Acyl-CoA-binding protein gene family in plants provides insights into potential functions of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.)

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 677-696
Author(s):  
Zhi-Gang Dong ◽  
Hui Liu ◽  
Xiao-Long Wang ◽  
Jun Tang ◽  
Kai-Kai Zhu ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: Grapevine was one of the most important perennial fruit crops worldwide. Acyl-CoA-binding proteins (ACBPs) in eudicots and monocots show conservation in an acyl-CoA-binding domain (ACB domain) which binds acyl-CoA esters. OBJECTIVE: The information and data provided in the present study contributes to understand the evolutionary processes and potential functions of this gene family in grapevine growth and development, and responses to abiotic stress. METHODS: Using the complete grapevine genome sequences, we investigated the number grapevine ACBP genes, the exon-intron structure, phylogenetic relationships and synteny with the Arabidopsis ACBP gene family. Furthermore, the expression profiles of VvACBP genes based on public microarray data in different tissues, and the expression patterns responding to different exogenous hormones as well as abiotic and biotic stresses were presented. The qRT-PCR was used to verify the microarray data under drought stress treatments. Finally, the leaf relative water content (RWC), leaf chlorophyll content, and enzymatic activities were measured to further examine the tolerance to drought stress in grapevine. RESULTS: The six grapevine ACBPs were identified. Their distribution into various groups differed from Arabidopsis and rice. Synteny analysis demonstrated that several VvACBP genes were found in corresponding syntenic blocks of Arabidopsis, suggesting that these genes arose before the divergence of the respective lineages. Sequence alignment and structural annotation provided an overview of variations that might contribute to functional divergence from Arabidopsis ACBPs. Expressional analyses suggested that both conserved and variant biological functions exist in ACBPs across different species. The expression pattern of these genes were similar in the microarray and qRT-PCR analyses. Gene structure organization and expression characteristics of VvACBPs resembled those of their Arabidopsis orthologous, although species-specific differences also exist. Differential regulation of genes suggested functional diversification among isoforms. The biochemical and physiological data showed the tolerance to drought stress of grapevine. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provided insight into evolution of ACBP gene family in plants and a solid foundation for a deeper understanding of the complex molecular responses of grapevine to stress.

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhixuan Du ◽  
Qitao Su ◽  
Zheng Wu ◽  
Zhou Huang ◽  
Jianzhong Bao ◽  
...  

AbstractMultidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) proteins are involved in many physiological functions of plant growth and development. Although an increasing number of MATE proteins have been identified, the understanding of MATE proteins is still very limited in rice. In this study, 46 MATE proteins were identified from the rice (Oryza sativa) genome by homology searches and domain prediction. The rice MATE family was divided into four subfamilies based on the phylogenetic tree. Tandem repeats and fragment replication contribute to the expansion of the rice MATE gene family. Gene structure and cis-regulatory elements reveal the potential functions of MATE genes. Analysis of gene expression showed that most of MATE genes were constitutively expressed and the expression patterns of genes in different tissues were analyzed using RNA-seq. Furthermore, qRT-PCR-based analysis showed differential expression patterns in response to salt and drought stress. The analysis results of this study provide comprehensive information on the MATE gene family in rice and will aid in understanding the functional divergence of MATE genes.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lanjie Zhao ◽  
Youjun Lu ◽  
Wei Chen ◽  
Jinbo Yao ◽  
Yan Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Members of the AT-HOOK MOTIF CONTAINING NUCLEAR LOCALIZED ( AHL ) family are involved in various plant biological processes via protein-DNA and protein-protein interaction. However, no the systematic identification and analysis of AHL gene family have been reported in cotton. Results: To investigate the potential functions of AHLs in cotton, genome-wide identification, expressions and structure analysis of the AHL gene family were performed in this study. 48, 51 and 99 AHL genes were identified from the G.raimondii, G.arboreum and G.hirsutum genome, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the AHLs in cotton evolved into 2 clades, Clade-A with 4-5 introns and Clade-B with intronless (excluding AHL 20-2). Based on the composition of the AT-hook motif(s) and PPC/DUF 296 domain, AHL proteins were classified into three types (Type-I/-II/-III), with Type-I AHLs forming Clade-B, and the other two types together diversifying in Clade-A. The detection of synteny and collinearity showed that the AHLs expanded with the WGD in cotton, and the sequence structure of AHL20-2 showed the tendency of increasing intron in three different Gossypium spp . The ratios of non-synonymous (Ka) and synonymous (Ks) substitution rates of orthologous gene pairs revealed that the AHL genes of G.hirsutum had undergone through various selection pressures, purifying selection mainly in A-subgenome and positive selection mainly in D-subgenome. Examination of their expression patterns showed most of AHLs of Clade-B expressed predominantly in stem, while those of Clade-A in ovules, suggesting that the AHLs within each clade shared similar expression patterns with each other. qRT-PCR analysis further confirmed that some GhAHLs higher expression in stems and ovules. Conclusion: In this study, 48, 51 and 99 AHL genes were identified from three cotton genomes respectively. AHLs in cotton were classified into two clades by phylogenetic relationship and three type based on the composition of motif and domain. The AHLs expanded with segmental duplication, not tandem duplication. The expression profiles of GhAHLs revealed abundant differences in expression levels in various tissues and at different stages of ovules development. Our study provided significant insights into the potential functions of AHLs in regulating the growth and development in cotton.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhixuan Du ◽  
Qitao Su ◽  
Zheng Wu ◽  
Zhou Huang ◽  
Jianzhong Bao ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) proteins are involved in many physiological functions of plant growth and development. Although an increasing number of MATE proteins have been identified, the understanding of MATE proteins is still very limited in rice.Results: In this study, 46 MATE proteins were identified from the rice (Oryza sativa) genome by homology searches and domain prediction. In addition, physical and chemical properties of the encoded proteins, subcellular localization, chromosome localization, stress-related cis-elements in abiotic stresses were determined, and a phylogenetic analysis and conserved motif analysis were performed. The rice MATE family can be divided into four subfamilies. It is speculated that members of the rice MATE family have many potential functions, such as the transport and accumulation of flavonoids and alkaloids, the extrusion of plant or exogenous compounds, the regulation of disease resistance and the response to abiotic stress, based on the proteins and cis-acting elements with known functions in the same subfamily. Analysis of gene expression showed that most of the genes were constitutively expressed. Furthermore, eight MATE genes were chosen for qRT-PCR-based analysis and showed differential expression patterns in response to salt and drought stress. Conclusions: Phylogenetic analysis, element prediction, expression data and homology with other species provided strong evidence for functional homology of MATE gene in rice. The analysis results of this study provide comprehensive information on the MATE gene family in rice and will aid in understanding the functional divergence of MATE genes.


PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e6682 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengyao Li ◽  
Bo Sun ◽  
Fangjie Xie ◽  
Ronggao Gong ◽  
Ya Luo ◽  
...  

GRAS transcription factors are known to play important roles in plant signal transduction and development. A comprehensive study was conducted to explore the GRAS family in the Brassica juncea genome. A total of 88 GRAS genes were identified which were categorized into nine groups according to the phylogenetic analysis. Gene structure analysis showed a high group-specificity, which corroborated the gene grouping results. The chromosome distribution and sequence analysis suggested that gene duplication events are vital for the expansion of GRAS genes in the B. juncea genome. The changes in evolution rates and amino acid properties among groups might be responsible for their functional divergence. Interaction networks and cis-regulatory elements were analyzed including DELLA and eight interaction proteins (including four GID1, two SLY1, and two PIF3 proteins) that are primarily involved in light and hormone signaling. To understand their regulatory role in growth and development, the expression profiles of BjuGRASs and interaction genes were examined based on transcriptome data and qRT-PCR, and selected genes (BjuGRAS3, 5, 7, 8, 10, BjuB006276, BjuB037910, and BjuA021658) had distinct temporal expression patterns during stem swelling, indicating that they possessed diverse regulatory functions during the developmental process. These results contribute to our understanding on the GRAS gene family and provide the basis for further investigations on the evolution and functional characterization of GRAS genes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luzhao Pan ◽  
Jiaqiu Zheng ◽  
Jia Liu ◽  
Jun Guo ◽  
Fawan Liu ◽  
...  

Acetylserotonin methyltransferase (ASMT) in plant species, one of the most important enzymes in melatonin biosynthesis, plays a rate-limiting role in the melatonin production. In this study, based on the whole genome sequence, we performed a systematic analysis for the ASMT gene family in pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) and analyzed their expression profiles during growth and development, as well as abiotic stresses. The results showed that at least 16 CaASMT genes were identified in the pepper genome. Phylogenetic analyses of all the CaASMTs were divided into three groups (group I, group II, and group III) with a high bootstrap value. Through the online MEME tool, six distinct motifs (motif 1 to motif 6) were identified. Chromosome location found that most CaASMT genes were mapped in the distal ends of the pepper chromosomes. In addition, RNA-seq analysis revealed that, during the vegetative and reproductive development, the difference in abundance and distinct expression patterns of these CaASMT genes suggests different functions. The qRT-PCR analysis showed that high abundance of CaASMT03, CaASMT04, and CaASMT06 occurred in mature green fruit and mature red fruit. Finally, using RNA-seq and qRT-PCR technology, we also found that several CaASMT genes were induced under abiotic stress conditions. The results will not only contribute to elucidate the evolutionary relationship of ASMT genes but also ascertain the biological function in pepper plant response to abiotic stresses.


PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11938
Author(s):  
Shilin Sun ◽  
Bo Wang ◽  
Qi Jiang ◽  
Zhuoran Li ◽  
Site Jia ◽  
...  

Background DNA binding with one finger (Dof) proteins are plant-specific transcription factors playing vital roles in developmental processes and stress responses in plants. Nevertheless, the characterizations, expression patterns, and functions of the Dof family under drought stress (a key determinant of plant physiology and metabolic homeostasis) in woody plants remain unclear. Methods The birch (Betula platyphylla var. mandshuric) genome and plant TFDB database were used to identify Dof gene family members in birch plants. ClustalW2 of BioEdit v7.2.1, MEGA v7.0, ExPASy ProtParam tool, Subloc, TMHMM v2.0, GSDS v2.0, MEME, TBtools, KaKs Calculator v2.0, and PlantCARE were respectively used to align the BpDof sequences, build a phylogenetic tree, identify the physicochemical properties, analyze the chromosomal distribution and synteny, and identify the cis-elements in the promoter regions of the 26 BpDof genes. Additionally, the birch seedlings were exposed to PEG6000-simulated drought stress, and the expression patterns of the BpDof genes in different tissues were analyzed by qRT-PCR. The histochemical staining and the evaluation of physiological indexes were performed to assess the plant tolerance to drought with transient overexpression of BpDof4, BpDof11, and BpDof17 genes. SPSS software and ANOVA were used to conduct all statistical analyses and determine statistically significant differences between results. Results A total of 26 BpDof genes were identified in birch via whole-genome analysis. The conserved Dof domain with a C(x)2C(x)21C(x)2C zinc finger motif was present in all BpDof proteins. These birch BpDofs were classified into four groups (A to D) according to the phylogenetic analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana Dof genes. BpDof proteins within the same group mostly possessed similar motifs, as detected by conserved motif analysis. The exon–intron analysis revealed that the structures of BpDof genes differed, indicating probable gene gain and lose during the BpDof evolution. The chromosomal distribution and synteny analysis showed that the 26 BpDofs were unevenly distributed on 14 chromosomes, and seven duplication events among six chromosomes were found. Cis-acting elements were abundant in the promoter regions of the 26 BpDof genes. qRT-PCR revealed that the expression of the 26 BpDof genes was differentially regulated by drought stress among roots, stems, and leaves. Most BpDof genes responded to drought stress, and BpDof4, BpDof11, and BpDof17­ were significantly up-regulated. Therefore, plants overexpressing these three genes were generated to investigate drought stress tolerance. The BpDof4-, BpDof11-, and BpDof17­-overexpressing plants showed promoted reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging capabilities and less severe cell damage, suggesting that they conferred enhanced drought tolerance in birch. This study provided an in-depth insight into the structure, evolution, expression, and function of the Dof gene family in plants.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (19) ◽  
pp. 10722
Author(s):  
Lu Lu ◽  
Quancan Hou ◽  
Linlin Wang ◽  
Tianye Zhang ◽  
Wei Zhao ◽  
...  

Polygalacturonase (PG, EC 3.2.1.15) is a crucial enzyme for pectin degradation and is involved in various developmental processes such as fruit ripening, pollen development, cell expansion, and organ abscission. However, information on the PG gene family in the maize (Zea mays L.) genome and the specific members involved in maize anther development are still lacking. In this study, we identified 55 PG family genes from the maize genome and further characterized their evolutionary relationship and expression patterns. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that ZmPGs are grouped into six Clades, and gene structures of the same Clade are highly conserved, suggesting their functional conservation. The ZmPGs are randomly distributed across maize chromosomes, and collinearity analysis showed that many ZmPGs might be derived from tandem duplications and segmental duplications, and these genes are under purifying selection. Furthermore, gene expression analysis provided insights into possible functional divergence among ZmPGs. Based on the RNA-seq data analysis, we found that many ZmPGs are expressed in various tissues while 18 ZmPGs are highly expressed in maize anther, and their detailed expression profiles in different anther developmental stages were further investigated by using RT-qPCR analysis. These results provide valuable information for further functional characterization and application of the ZmPGs in maize.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lanjie Zhao ◽  
Youjun Lu ◽  
Wei Chen ◽  
Jinbo Yao ◽  
Yan Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Members of the AT-HOOK MOTIF CONTAINING NUCLEAR LOCALIZED (AHL) family are involved in various plant biological processes via protein-DNA and protein-protein interaction. However, the systematic identification and analysis of AHL gene family have yet not to be reported in cotton. Results: To investigate the potential functions of AHLs in cotton, genome-wide identification, expressions and structure analysis of the AHL gene family were performed in this study. 48, 51 and 99 AHL genes were identified from the G.raimondii, G.arboreum and G.hirsutum genome respectively. Phylogenetic trees showed that the AHLs in cotton evolved into 2 clades, Clade-A with 4-5 introns and Clade-B with intronless (excluding AHL20-2). Based on the composition of the AT-hook motif(s) and PPC/DUF 296 domain, AHL proteins were classified into three types (Type-I/-II/-III), with Type-I AHLs forming Clade-B, and the other two types together diversifying in Clade-A. The detection of synteny and collinearity showed that the AHLs expanded with specific WGD in cotton, and AHL20-2 showed the tendency of increasing intron in three different Gossypium spp. The ratios of non-synonymous (Ka) and synonymous (Ks) substitution rates of orthologous gene pairs revealed that the AHL genes of G.hirsutum had undergone through various selection pressures, purifying selection mainly in A-subgenome and positive selection mainly in D-subgenome. Examination of their expression patterns showed most of AHLs of Clade-B expressed predominantly in stem, while those of Clade-A in ovules, suggesting that the AHLs within each clade shared similar expression patterns with each other. qRT-PCR analysis further confirmed that some GhAHLs higher expression in stems and ovules. Conclusion: In this study, 48, 51 and 99 AHL genes were identified from three cotton genomes respectively. AHLs in cotton were classified into two clades by phylogenetic relationship and three type based on the composition of motif and domain. The AHLs expanded with segmental duplication, not tandem duplication. The expression profiles of GhAHLs revealed abundant differences in expression levels in various tissues and at different stages of ovules development. Our study provided significant insights into the potential functions of AHLs in regulating the growth and development in cotton.


PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9936
Author(s):  
Jingjing Wang ◽  
Zhaohai Du ◽  
Xuehan Huo ◽  
Juan Zhou ◽  
Yu Chen ◽  
...  

Background The circadian clock not only participates in regulating various stages of plant growth, development and metabolism, but confers plant environmental adaptability to stress such as drought. Pseudo-Response Regulators (PRRs) are important component of the central oscillator (the core of circadian clock) and play a significant role in plant photoperiod pathway. However, no systematical study about this gene family has been performed in cotton. Methods PRR genes were identified in diploid and tetraploid cotton using bioinformatics methods to investigate their homology, duplication and evolution relationship. Differential gene expression, KEGG enrichment analysis and qRT-PCR were conducted to analyze PRR gene expression patterns under diurnal changes and their response to drought stress. Results A total of 44 PRR family members were identified in four Gossypium species, with 16 in G. hirsutum, 10 in G. raimondii, and nine in G. barbadense as well as in G. arboreum. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that PRR proteins were divided into five subfamilies and whole genome duplication or segmental duplication contributed to the expansion of Gossypium PRR gene family. Gene structure analysis revealed that members in the same clade are similar, and multiple cis-elements related to light and drought stress response were enriched in the promoters of GhPRR genes. qRT-PCR results showed that GhPRR genes transcripts presented four expression peaks (6 h, 9 h, 12 h, 15 h) during 24 h and form obvious rhythmic expression trend. Transcriptome data with PEG treatment, along with qRT-PCR verification suggested that members of clade III (GhPRR5a, b, d) and clade V (GhPRR3a and GhPRR3c) may be involved in drought response. This study provides an insight into understanding the function of PRR genes in circadian rhythm and in response to drought stress in cotton.


Genes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 980
Author(s):  
Hua Zhong ◽  
Hongyu Zhang ◽  
Rong Guo ◽  
Qiang Wang ◽  
Xiaoping Huang ◽  
...  

The domain of unknown function (DUF) superfamily encodes proteins of unknown functions in plants. Among them, DUF668 family members in plants possess a 29 amino-acid conserved domain, and this family has not been described previously. Here, we report this plant-specific novel DUF668 gene family containing 12 OsDUF668 genes in rice (Oryza sativa) and 91 DUF668s for the other seven plant species. In our study, DUF668 genes were present in both dicot and monocot plants, indicating that DUF668 is a conserved gene family that originated by predating the dicot–monocot divergence. Based on the gene structure and motif composition, the DUF668 family consists of two distinct clades, I and II in the phylogenetic tree. Remarkably, OsDUF668 genes clustered on the chromosomes merely show close phylogenetic relationships, suggesting that gene duplications or collinearity seldom happened. Cis-elements prediction display that over 80% of DUF668s contain phytohormone and light responsiveness factors. Further comprehensive experimental analyses of the OsDUF668 family are implemented in 22 different tissues, five hormone treatments, seven environmental factor stresses, and two pathogen-defense related stresses. The OsDUF668 genes express ubiquitously in analyzed rice tissues, and seven genes show tissue-specific high expression profiles. All OsDUF668s respond to drought, and some of Avr9/Cf-9 rapidly elicited genes resist to salt, wound, and rice blast with rapidly altered expression patterns. These findings imply that OsDUF668 is essential for drought-enduring and plant defense. Together, our results bring the important role of the DUF668 gene family in rice development and fitness to the fore.


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