大豆KNOX基因家族的结构和表达分析

KNOX基因家族编码同源异型盒蛋白, 在植物生长发育过程中起重要调控作用。利用生物信息学手段在全基因组水平上对大豆(Glycine max)KNOX家族基因进行鉴定和分类, 并分析其基因结构、蛋白同源结构域特征以及基因表达方式。研究结果表明: 大豆中的27个GmKNOX基因可以分为GmKNOX I和GmKNOX II两个亚类, 其中GmKNOX I类可分为3个主要的进化支, GmKNOX II类分为2个主要的进化支; 26个GmKNOX基因不均匀地分布在16条染色体上, GmKNOX27尚无法定位。不同组织表达谱的分析表明: GmKNOX I类基因表达部位比较集中, 以茎顶端分生组织中表达量最高; 而GmKNOX II类基因的表达特异性较GmKNOX I类低, 表达部位更广泛。     

大豆基因家族的结构和表达分析

KNOX基因家族编码同源异型盒蛋白,在植物生长发育过程中起重要调控作用。利用生物信息学手段在全基因组水平上对大豆（Glycine Max）KNOX）（家族基因进行鉴定和分类,并分析其基因结构、蛋白同源结构域特征以及基因表达方式。研究结果表明：大豆中的27个GmKNOX基因可以分为GmKNOXl和GmKNOXll两个亚类,其中GmKNOXl类可分为3个主要的进化支,GmKNOXll类分为2个主要的进化支：26个GmKNOX基因不均匀地分布在16条染色体上,GmKNOX27尚无法定位。不同组织表达谱的分析表明：GmKNOXl类基因表达部位比较集中,以茎顶端分生组织中表达量最高：而GmKNOXll类基因的表达特异性较GmKNOXl类低,表达部位更广泛。     

大豆miR-171基因家族的进化与功能分析

运用生物信息学方法在miRBase搜索大豆miR-171(gma-miR-171)基因家族的序列,分析gma-miR-171序列的进化特征并预测其靶基因。结果表明,在miRBase中共搜索到21条gma-miR-171基因家族序列。序列分析发现,gma-miR-171基因家族序列保守性较差,只有2个碱基完全保守。对gma-miR-171基因进行定位,21个成员分散在12条染色体上,其中Chr06上gma-miR-171基因最多,共4个。进化分析表明,位于同一条染色体上的gma-miR-171基因没有表现出较近的亲缘关系。靶基因预测获得14个gma-miR-171基因家族的靶基因,包括蛋白激酶、磷酸酶、输出蛋白、转录因子等,说明gma-miR-171基因家族在大豆中具有广泛的调控功能。     

Molecular Phylogeny,Evolution, and Functional Divergence of the LSD1-Like Gene Family: Inference from the Rice Genome

The identification of LSD1-like genes in parasite, green algae, moss, pine, and monocot and dicot species allowed us to trace the phylogenetic history of this gene family. Computational analysis showed that the diversification of members of this family could be dated back to the early stage of plant evolution. The evolution of plant LSD1-like genes was possibly shaped by two duplication events. These proteins, which contain three copies of the LSD1 zinc finger (zf-LSD1) domain within their entire polypeptides and play crucial roles in modulating disease defense and cell death, resulted from the second duplication. A gain of zf-LSD1 domain model was reasonable for explaining the origination of three-zf-LSD1 domain-containing proteins. The zf-LSD1 domain phylogeny showed that the middle (M) and C-terminal (C) domains originated from a common ancestor; the N-terminal (N) domain might be more ancient than the former two. The divergence of the N, M, and C domains was well before the monocot-dicot split. Coevolution analysis revealed that four intramolecular domain pairs, including the N domain and the interregion between the M and the C domains (INTER2), the M and C domain, the N- and C-terminus, and the M domain and C-terminus, possibly coevolved during the evolution of three-zf-LSD1 domain-containing proteins. The three zf-LSD1 domains are evolutionary conserved. Thus, the differences at the N- and C-terminus would be crucial for functional specificity of LSD1 genes. Strong functional constraints should work on the zf-LSD1 domains, whereas reduced functional constraint was found in the INTER2 region. Functional divergence analysis showed that three-zf-LSD1 domain-containing proteins were significantly functionally divergent from those proteins containing only one zf-LSD1 domain, a result demonstrating that shifted evolutionary rates between the two clusters were significantly different from each other. [Reviewing Editor: Dr. Joshua Plotkin]     

Structure and Evolution of the Actin Gene Family in Arabidopsis Thaliana

Higher plants contain families of actin-encoding genes that are divergent and differentially expressed. Progress in understanding the functions and evolution of plant actins has been hindered by the large size of the actin gene families. In this study, we characterized the structure and evolution of the actin gene family in Arabidopsis thaliana. DNA blot analyses with gene-specific probes suggested that all 10 of the Arabidopsis actin gene family members have been isolated and established that Arabidopsis has a much simpler actin gene family than other plants that have been examined. Phylogenetic analyses suggested that the Arabidopsis gene family contains at least two ancient classes of genes that diverged early in land plant evolution and may have separated vegetative from reproductive actins. Subsequent divergence produced a total of six distinct subclasses of actin, and five showed a distinct pattern of tissue specific expression. The concordance of expression patterns with the phylogenetic structure is discussed. These subclasses appear to be evolving independently, as no evidence of gene conversion was found. The Arabidopsis actin proteins have an unusually large number of nonconservative amino acid substitutions, which mapped to the surface of the actin molecule, and should effect protein-protein interactions.     

Gene Order Phylogeny and the Evolution of Methanogens

Methanogens are a phylogenetically diverse group belonging to Euryarchaeota. Previously, phylogenetic approaches using large datasets revealed that methanogens can be grouped into two classes, “Class I” and “Class II”. However, some deep relationships were not resolved. For instance, the monophyly of “Class I” methanogens, which consist of Methanopyrales, Methanobacteriales and Methanococcales, is disputable due to weak statistical support. In this study, we use MSOAR to identify common orthologous genes from eight methanogen species and a Thermococcale species (outgroup), and apply GRAPPA and FastME to compute distance-based gene order phylogeny. The gene order phylogeny supports two classes of methanogens, but it differs from the original classification of methanogens by placing Methanopyrales and Methanobacteriales together with Methanosarcinales in Class II rather than with Methanococcales. This study suggests a new classification scheme for methanogens. In addition, it indicates that gene order phylogeny can complement traditional sequence-based methods in addressing taxonomic questions for deep relationships.     

Molecular Phylogeny and Evolution of the Plant-Specific Seven-Transmembrane MLO Family

Abstract Homologues of barley Mlo encode the only family of seven-transmembrane (TM) proteins in plants. Their topology, subcellular localization, and sequence diversification are reminiscent of those of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) from animals and fungi. We present a computational analysis of MLO family members based on 31 full-size and 3 partial sequences, which originate from several monocot species, the dicot Arabidopsis thaliana, and the moss Ceratodon purpureus. This enabled us to date the origin of the Mlo gene family back at least to the early stages of land plant evolution. The genomic organization of the corresponding genes supports a monophyletic origin of the Mlo gene family. Phylogenetic analysis revealed five clades, of which three contain both monocot and dicot members, while two indicate class-specific diversification. Analysis of the ratio of nonsynonymous-to-synonymous changes in coding sequences provided evidence for functional constraint on the evolution of the DNA sequences and purifying selection, which appears to be reduced in the first extracellular loop of 12 closely related orthologues. The 31 full-size sequences were examined for potential domain-specific intramolecular coevolution. This revealed evidence for concerted evolution of all three cytoplasmic domains with each other and the C-terminal cytoplasmic tail, suggesting interplay of all intracellular domains for MLO function.     

The Rho GTPase Family Genes in Bivalvia Genomes: Sequence,Evolution and Expression Analysis

Background

Rho GTPases are important members of the Ras superfamily, which represents the largest signaling protein family in eukaryotes, and function as key molecular switches in converting and amplifying external signals into cellular responses. Although numerous analyses of Rho family genes have been reported, including their functions and evolution, a systematic analysis of this family has not been performed in Mollusca or in Bivalvia, one of the most important classes of Mollusca.

Results

In this study, we systematically identified and characterized a total set (Rho, Rac, Mig, Cdc42, Tc10, Rnd, RhoU, RhoBTB and Miro) of thirty Rho GTPase genes in three bivalve species, including nine in the Yesso scallop Patinopecten yessoensis, nine in the Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri, and twelve in the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas. Phylogenetic analysis and interspecies comparison indicated that bivalves might possess the most complete types of Rho genes in invertebrates. A multiple RNA-seq dataset was used to investigate the expression profiles of bivalve Rho genes, revealing that the examined scallops share more similar Rho expression patterns than the oyster, whereas more Rho mRNAs are expressed in C. farreri and C. gigas than in P. yessoensis. Additionally, Rho, Rac and Cdc42 were found to be duplicated in the oyster but not in the scallops. Among the expanded Rho genes of C. gigas, duplication pairs with high synonymous substitution rates (Ks) displayed greater differences in expression.

Conclusion

A comprehensive analysis of bivalve Rho GTPase family genes was performed in scallop and oyster species, and Rho genes in bivalves exhibit greater conservation than those in any other invertebrate. This is the first study focusing on a genome-wide characterization of Rho GTPase genes in bivalves, and the findings will provide a valuable resource for a better understanding of Rho evolution and Rho GTPase function in Bivalvia.     

拟南芥ABC转运类蛋白家族的分子进化、表达模式和蛋白功能网络预测分析

ABC转运蛋白又称腺苷三磷酸结合盒转运蛋白(ATP-binding cassette transporters),该基因家族是目前已知最大、最古老的蛋白家族之一,在植物中ABC转运蛋白种类繁多、结构复杂、功能多样,涉及植物一切的生命活动过程。本研究系统介绍了拟南芥中131个ABC转运蛋白的亚家族分类、系统命名、蛋白大小以及蛋白亚细胞定位等基因信息,在此基础上,分析了ABC转运蛋白基因在染色体分布以及进化过程中发生的复制事件;其次在47个组织器官或发育阶段中聚类分析了ABC转运蛋白的表达模式和各个亚家族分布规律,结果表明ABC转运蛋白基因的表达具有明显的组织特异性和时空特异性,说明在进化过程中该类蛋白功能也进一步发生分化;我们以花药发育过程为例,说明ABC转运蛋白在花药发育过程中具有较高的协调性,在时空和组织上表达受到严格的调控;最后我们分析了ABC转运蛋白亚家族内部和各个亚家族之间可能存在的蛋白相互作用关系,推测ABC半分子转运蛋白形成同源或异源二聚体发挥功能的可能性,进一步说明ABC转运蛋白在蛋白互作水平上也存在功能多样性和严格的调控关系。