小立碗藓扩展蛋白基因家族的鉴定与生物信息学分析

扩展蛋白(Expansins,EXP)是一类基因家族,几乎参与了植物发育的全过程,从种子萌发到果实成熟都有扩展蛋白的参与。该研究利用生物信息学的方法对小立碗藓(Physcomitrella patens) Expansin基因家族成员进行鉴定,分析了其基因结构、染色体定位以及系统发生关系。结果表明:小立碗藓基因组中含有Expansin A(EXPA) 32个、Expansin-like A(EXLA) 6个,并未发现Expansin-like B(EXLB)及Expansin B(EXPB)。扩展蛋白氨基酸序列长度在228～290 aa之间,编码蛋白质具有两个保守的结构域Pollen_allerg_1和DPBB_1。蛋白质亚细胞定位预测结果表明:运用CELLO在线工具预测发现小立碗藓中约4/5的EXP家族基因定位于细胞外;而Euk-mPLoc预测结果则显示小立碗藓EXP基因家族成员全定位于细胞外。基因结构分析表明,小立碗藓中约68%Expansin基因有含有1～3个内含子。以上结果可为深入研究小立碗藓扩展蛋白基因的分子进化与生物学功能奠定基础。     

甘蓝型油菜扩展蛋白家族的全基因组鉴定及其对缺硼胁迫响应的差异分析（英文）

以甘蓝型油菜(Brassica napus L.)硼高效品种‘青油10号’和硼低效品种‘Westar 10’为研究对象,采用生物信息学分析、转录组测序和实时荧光定量PCR技术,鉴定其基因组中扩展蛋白的家族成员,并对该基因家族响应缺硼胁迫的表达差异进行分析。结果显示,甘蓝型油菜基因组中包含109个扩展蛋白,可分为4个亚家族,包括:79个扩展蛋白A(Bna EXPAs)、21个扩展蛋白B(Bna EXPBs)、5个类扩展蛋白A(Bna EXLAs)和4个类扩展蛋白B(Bna EXLBs)。同一亚家族中的扩展蛋白具有相对保守的基因结构和蛋白质基序组成。这些扩展蛋白基因分布在19条染色体上,其中10个位于硼高效QTL区间内。转录组测序分析结果表明,缺硼胁迫时‘青油10号’的根、幼叶和老叶中分别有40、18和30个扩展蛋白基因显著上调或下调表达;而‘Westar10’中分别有27、24和41个扩展蛋白基因显著上调或下调表达。其中‘青油10号’根中的Bna C04.EXPA6a,幼叶中的Bna A09.EXPA5以及老叶中的Bna A09.EXPA16、Bna C04.EXPA3、Bna Cnn.EXPA5b和Bna A03.EXPA8基因的表达水平均显著高于‘Westar10’。研究结果说明甘蓝型油菜基因组中扩展蛋白基因家族数量庞大,其中高、低效品种间和不同硼水平中差异表达的扩展蛋白可能在甘蓝型油菜低硼适应性中发挥重要作用。     

甘蓝型油菜扩展蛋白家族的全基因组鉴定及其对缺硼胁迫响应的差异分析

以甘蓝型油菜(Brassica napus L.)硼高效品种‘青油10号’和硼低效品种‘Westar 10’为研究对象,采用生物信息学分析、转录组测序和实时荧光定量PCR技术,鉴定其基因组中扩展蛋白的家族成员,并对该基因家族响应缺硼胁迫的表达差异进行分析。结果显示,甘蓝型油菜基因组中包含109个扩展蛋白,可分为4个亚家族,包括:79个扩展蛋白A(BnaEXPAs)、21个扩展蛋白B(BnaEXPBs)、5个类扩展蛋白A(BnaEXLAs)和4个类扩展蛋白B(BnaEXLBs)。同一亚家族中的扩展蛋白具有相对保守的基因结构和蛋白质基序组成。这些扩展蛋白基因分布在19条染色体上,其中10个位于硼高效QTL区间内。转录组测序分析结果表明,缺硼胁迫时‘青油10号’的根、幼叶和老叶中分别有40、18和30个扩展蛋白基因显著上调或下调表达;而‘Westar10’中分别有27、24和41个扩展蛋白基因显著上调或下调表达。其中‘青油10号’根中的BnaC04.EXPA6a,幼叶中的BnaA09.EXPA5以及老叶中的BnaA09.EXPA16、BnaC04.EXPA3、BnaCnn.EXPA5b和BnaA03.EXPA8基因的表达水平均显著高于‘Westar10’。研究结果说明甘蓝型油菜基因组中扩展蛋白基因家族数量庞大,其中高、低效品种间和不同硼水平中差异表达的扩展蛋白可能在甘蓝型油菜低硼适应性中发挥重要作用。     

水稻扩展蛋白家族的生物信息学分析

扩展蛋白是植物细胞壁的重要组成部分,具有松驰细胞壁和增加细胞壁柔韧性的作用,在植物的生长发育及抗性等方面起到重要的作用。水稻的全基因组序列统计分析显示,水稻扩展蛋白基因家族包含58个成员,分属于A(34)、B(19)、LA(4)和LB(1)4个亚家族,分布在水稻10条染色体上的58个位点,且同一亚家族成员有成簇存在的现象。扩展蛋白基因长度范围为687~1128 bp,编码蛋白质具有保守的结构域,以及保守的半胱氨酸和色氨酸残基。多数情况下,亚家族成员之间的氨基酸一致率小于35%,而同一亚家族成员之间的氨基酸一致率大于35%。在内含子、外显子组成模式上,水稻扩展蛋白呈现明显的亚家族特异性,除个别基因以外,A类基因含有1或2个内含子,B类含有3个内含子,LA和LB类含有4个内含子。密码子使用统计显示,与其他物种相比,水稻中的扩展蛋白具有更多的密码子使用偏好性,有26个高频密码子存在。研究结果展示了水稻扩展蛋白基因家族的基本信息,为深入研究扩展蛋白基因的功能、探讨物种间的进化关系奠定基础。     

葡萄SAUR基因家族鉴定与生物信息学分析

为了研究葡萄早期应答生长素基因SAUR(Small auxin-up RNA)家族,本研究利用全基因组信息鉴定了葡萄64个SAUR家族成员,并对SAUR家族成员的基因结构、氨基酸特性、染色体定位、基因进化、基因功能以及组织表达进行分析。结果表明,葡萄全基因组上64个SAUR家族成员在19条染色体中的8条染色体上呈现簇状分布,主要分布在3、4号染色体上,其中3号染色体上数量最多为37个;葡萄SAUR家族基因长度较短,有59个基因是无内含子基因;蛋白理化特征分析显示,多数SAUR蛋白呈碱性,结构稳定性较差,蛋白脂溶指数高,呈亲水性;基因功能预测结果表明,葡萄SAUR基因主要担当生长因子、结构蛋白、转录、转录调控以及响应胁迫应答和免疫应答6种功能,其中更多参与生长调节功能;根据系统进化分析将其分为10个分支,另外不同组织表达谱的分析结果表明SAUR基因家族成员具有不同的组织表达模式,对于非生物胁迫具有一定的调节作用。这些信息为葡萄SAUR基因家族功能分析奠定了一定的工作基础。     

百脉根TALE转录因子家族的鉴定与生物信息学分析北大核心CSCD

三胺酸环延伸(TALE)蛋白是一类在植物生长发育过程中调控分生组织分化的转录因子。本研究通过生物信息学手段从豆科模式植物百脉根(Lotus japonicus(Regel)K.Larsen)全基因组中筛选出分布于6条染色体上的40条TALE家族基因,并对其保守结构域、基因结构、系统进化、在染色体上的分布、理化性质以及部分典型基因的组织表达差异等进行分析。根据结构域不同可将百脉根TALE家族分为BELL和KNOX两个亚族;百脉根TALE家族在进化上较为保守,分化上与大豆存在较大差异;该家族基因有外显子4～6个,氨基酸序列长度在271～792之间,家族成员蛋白均为弱酸性蛋白。Realtime PCR分析表明该家族基因表达与motif元件数之间存在相关性;BELL亚族主要在顶芽表达,KNOX亚族则主要在根组织中表达。研究结果为进一步克隆百脉根TALE基因和分析其功能奠定基础。     

百脉根TALE转录因子家族的鉴定与生物信息学分析

三胺酸环延伸(TALE)蛋白是一类在植物生长发育过程中调控分生组织分化的转录因子。本研究通过生物信息学手段从豆科模式植物百脉根(Lotus japonicus(Regel)K.Larsen)全基因组中筛选出分布于6条染色体上的40条TALE家族基因,并对其保守结构域、基因结构、系统进化、在染色体上的分布、理化性质以及部分典型基因的组织表达差异等进行分析。根据结构域不同可将百脉根TALE家族分为BELL和KNOX两个亚族;百脉根TALE家族在进化上较为保守,分化上与大豆存在较大差异;该家族基因有外显子4～6个,氨基酸序列长度在271～792之间,家族成员蛋白均为弱酸性蛋白。Realtime PCR分析表明该家族基因表达与motif元件数之间存在相关性;BELL亚族主要在顶芽表达,KNOX亚族则主要在根组织中表达。研究结果为进一步克隆百脉根TALE基因和分析其功能奠定基础。     

玉米KNOX基因家族鉴定及组织和逆境表达分析

为揭示玉米转录因子KNOX家族基因功能,采用生物信息学手段在玉米基因组水平鉴定KNOX家族成员,并对家族基因逆境和组织表达谱进行分析.结果 显示:(1)玉米基因组有22个ZmKNOX基因,根据其在染色体上的位置依次命名为ZmKNOX1-ZmKNOX22;编码蛋白质亚细胞定位预测发现,除ZmKNOX5、ZmKNOX11、...     

甜瓜PIN基因家族的鉴定及高温胁迫表达分析

生长素输出载体蛋白PIN(PIN-formed)是调控植物生长素极性运输的重要载体，在植物生长发育过程中发挥重要作用，但PIN蛋白在甜瓜基因组中的成员、性质、染色体分布、系统进化、启动子，以及家族成员在高温胁迫中的表达特性尚不明确。本研究利用生物信息学方法在甜瓜（Cucumis melo）全基因组数据库中筛选鉴定到18个CmPIN成员，编码氨基酸数量在51-642之间，分子量介于5.19-70.30 kD之间，不稳定指数在24.33-48.87之间；主要定位于细胞质膜上，除CmPIN6和CmPIN8无跨膜结构外，其他16个PIN蛋白均具有2-11个跨膜结构域；分布在9条染色体上，均含有1-9个Motif,CmPIN家族成员基因含有1-10个外显子，二级结构主要为α-螺旋和无规则卷曲结构。构建了CmPIN家族成员与拟南芥（Arabidopsis thaliana）、水稻（Oryza sativa）、番茄（Solanum lycopersicum）、玉米（Zea mays）的PIN蛋白进化树，将18个Cm PINs聚类为7个亚族，其中亚族Ⅵ中数量最多。启动子顺式作用元件分析显示，甜瓜CmP...     

玉米CIPK基因家族的鉴定及ZmCIPK3的抗旱性功能研究

钙调磷酸酶B类互作蛋白激酶（CIPK,CBL interacting protein kinases）是植物钙离子信号通路中响应非生物逆境胁迫的重要蛋白激酶之一。本研究以拟南芥和水稻中CIPK家族基因序列信息为基础,利用玉米参考基因组B73和生物信息学分析方法,全基因组范围内鉴定玉米CIPK基因家族成员,分析CIPK家族基因的进化关系、基因结构、基因表达模式和对干旱胁迫的响应。本研究共鉴定出44个玉米CIPK家族基因,并将其分为5个亚家族,每个亚家族有不同的外显子-内含子和UTR的结构特征;基于基因差异表达分析,筛选出5个与抗旱性相关的候选基因ZmCIPK3、ZmCIPK7、ZmCIPK44、ZmCIPK25和ZmCIPK28;进一步的遗传数据表明,干旱胁迫下ZmCIPK3拟南芥转基因株系的存活率明显高于野生型,提高了拟南芥的抗旱性;同时,干旱胁迫下ZmCIPK3拟南芥转基因株系中抗旱性相关生化指标过氧化物酶、超氧化物歧化酶活性显著高于野生型,而丙二醛和脯氨酸的含量显著低于野生型。本研究在玉米全基因组水平上鉴定了CIPK基因家族成员,分析了其在不同抗旱性材料、不同水分处理下的基因表达模...     

Analysis and expression of the alpha-expansin and beta-expansin gene families in maize

Expansins comprise a multigene family of proteins in maize (Zea mays). We isolated and characterized 13 different maize expansin cDNAs, five of which are alpha-expansins and eight of which are beta-expansins. This paper presents an analysis of these 13 expansins, as well as an expression analysis by northern blotting with materials from young and mature maize plants. Some expansins were expressed in restricted regions, such as the beta-expansins ExpB1 (specifically expressed in maize pollen) and ExpB4 (expressed principally in young husks). Other expansins such as alpha-expansin Exp1 and beta-expansin ExpB2 were expressed in several organs. The expression of yet a third group was not detected in the selected organs and tissues. An analysis of expansin sequences from the maize expressed sequence tag collection is also presented. Our results indicate that expansin genes may have general, overlapping expression in some instances, whereas in other cases the expression may be highly specific and limited to a single organ or cell type. In contrast to the situation in Arabidopsis, beta-expansins in maize seem to be more numerous and more highly expressed than are alpha-expansins. The results support the concept that beta-expansins multiplied and evolved special functions in the grasses.     

The growing world of expansins

Expansins are cell wall proteins that induce pH-dependent wall extension and stress relaxation in a characteristic and unique manner. Two families of expansins are known, named alpha- and beta-expansins, and they comprise large multigene families whose members show diverse organ-, tissue- and cell-specific expression patterns. Other genes that bear distant sequence similarity to expansins are also represented in the sequence databases, but their biological and biochemical functions have not yet been uncovered. Expansin appears to weaken glucan-glucan binding, but its detailed mechanism of action is not well established. The biological roles of expansins are diverse, but can be related to the action of expansins to loosen cell walls, for example during cell enlargement, fruit softening, pollen tube and root hair growth, and abscission. Expansin-like proteins have also been identified in bacteria and fungi, where they may aid microbial invasion of the plant body.     

Genomic location and expression analysis of expansin gene family reveals the evolutionary and functional significance in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum aestivum</Emphasis>

The plant-specific expansin proteins constitute an ancient and major gene family known to have roles in regulating diverse biological processes in plants. Although the functions of many expansin genes have been identified in wheat and other species, little is known about the evolution and genomic locations of the expansin genes in wheat (Triticum aestivum). In this study, a total of 87 expansin genes were identified in the wheat genome, including 52 EXPAs, 42 EXPBs and 4 EXLAs. The EXLB gene was not found in the wheat genome. Phylogenetic tree and comparative analysis revealed amplification of the EXPBs in rice, maize and wheat. The predicted wheat expansins were distributed across 14 of 21 chromosomes with different densities, 3 tightly co-located clusters and 15 paralogous pairs, indicating that tandem duplication and segmental duplication events also played roles in the evolution of expansins in wheat. In addition, the gene structures and conserved protein domains of wheat expansins suggest high levels of conservation within the phylogenetic subgroups. Analysis of a published microarray database showed that most wheat expansin genes exhibit different expression levels in different tissues and developmental stages. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a genome-wide analysis of the wheat expansin gene family, which should provide valuable information for further elucidating the classification and putative functions of the entire gene family.     

Detection of expansin proteins and activity during tomato fruit ontogeny

Expansins are plant proteins that have the capacity to induce extension in isolated cell walls and are thought to mediate pH-dependent cell expansion. J.K.C. Rose, H.H. Lee, and A.B. Bennett ([1997] Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 94: 5955-5960) reported the identification of an expansin gene (LeExp1) that is specifically expressed in ripening tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) fruit where cell wall disassembly, but not cell expansion, is prominent. Expansin expression during fruit ontogeny was examined using antibodies raised to recombinant LeExp1 or a cell elongation-related expansin from cucumber (CsExp1). The LeExp1 antiserum detected expansins in extracts from ripe, but not preripe tomato fruit, in agreement with the pattern of LeExp1 mRNA accumulation. In contrast, antibodies to CsExp1 cross-reacted with expansins in early fruit development and the onset of ripening, but not at a later ripening stage. These data suggest that ripening-related and expansion-related expansin proteins have distinct antigenic epitopes despite overall high sequence identity. Expansin proteins were detected in a range of fruit species and showed considerable variation in abundance; however, appreciable levels of expansin were not present in fruit of the rin or Nr tomato mutants that exhibit delayed and reduced softening. LeExp1 protein accumulation was ethylene-regulated and matched the previously described expression of mRNA, suggesting that expression is not regulated at the level of translation. We report the first detection of expansin activity in several stages of fruit development and while characteristic creep activity was detected in young and developing tomato fruit and in ripe pear, avocado, and pepper, creep activity in ripe tomato showed qualitative differences, suggesting both hydrolytic and expansin activities.     

Functional characterization of a bacterial expansin from Bacillus subtilis for enhanced enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose

Expansin is a plant protein family that induces plant cell wall‐loosening and cellulose disruption without exerting cellulose‐hydrolytic activity. Expansin‐like proteins have also been found in other eukaryotes such as nematodes and fungi. While searching for an expansin produced by bacteria, we found that the BsEXLX1 protein from Bacillus subtilis had a structure that was similar to that of a β‐expansin produced by maize. Therefore, we cloned the BsEXLX1 gene and expressed it in Escherichia coli to evaluate its function. When incubated with filter paper as a cellulose substrate, the recombinant protein exhibited both cellulose‐binding and cellulose‐weakening activities, which are known functions of plant expansins. In addition, evaluation of the enzymatic hydrolysis of filter paper revealed that the recombinant protein also displayed a significant synergism when mixed with cellulase. By comparing the activity of a mixture of cellulase and the bacterial expansin to the additive activity of the individual proteins, the synergistic activity was found to be as high as 240% when filter paper was incubated with cellulase and BsEXLX1, which was 5.7‐fold greater than the activity of cellulase alone. However, this synergistic effect was observed when only a low dosage of cellulase was used. This is the first study to characterize the function of an expansin produced by a non‐eukaryotic source. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009;102: 1342–1353. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Plant cell enlargement and the action of expansins

Plant cells are caged within a distended polymeric network (the cell wall), which enlarges by a process of stress relaxation and slippage (creep) of the polysaccharides that make up the load-bearing network of the wall. Protein mediators of wall creep have recently been isolated and characterized. These proteins, called expansins, appear to disrupt the noncovalent adhesion of matrix polysaccharides to cellulose microfibrils, thereby permitting turgor-driven wall enlargement. Expansin activity is specifically expressed in the growing tissues of dicotyledons and monocotyledons. Sequence analysis of cDNAs indicates that expansins are novel proteins, without previously known functional motifs. Comparison of expansin cDNAs from cucumber, pea, Arabidopsis and rice shows that the proteins are highly conserved in size and amino acid sequence. Phylogenetic analysis of expansin sequences suggests that this multigene family diverged before the evolution of angiosperms. Speculation is presented about the role of this gene family in plant development and evolution.