分析水稻APETALA2类基因的系统发育和表达模式

多基因家族经历着生与死的进化并因此有助于生物的创新性进化。APETALA2类基因属于AP2转录因子家族中euAP2分支。该类基因具有特征性基元,并存在于蕨类植物、裸子植物和被子植物中。系统发育分析表明这类基因经历了生与死的进化。原位杂交和RT-PCR结果表明水稻的5个APETALA2类基因在表达模式上既是冗余又是不同的。根据基因系统发育树和表达模式讨论了这些基因的功能。     

The MIK region rather than the C-terminal domain of AP3-like class B floral homeotic proteins determines functional specificity in the development and evolution of petals

In core eudicots, euAP3-type MADS-box genes encode a PISTILLATA (PI)-derived motif, as well as a C-terminal euAP3 motif that originated from a paleoAP3 motif of an ancestral APETALA3 (AP3)-like protein through a translational frameshift mutation. To determine the functional and evolutionary relevance of these motifs, a series of point mutation and domain-swap constructs were generated, involving CsAP3, a paleoAP3-type gene from the basal angiosperm Chloranthus spicatus encoding a truncated paleoAP3 motif, and AtAP3, a euAP3-type gene from the core eudicot Arabidopsis thaliana. The chimeric constructs were expressed in A. thaliana under the control of the AP3 promoter or the CaMV 35S promoter in an ap3 mutant or wild-type background, respectively. Significant recovery of AP3 function was obtained in both complementation and ectopic expression experiments whenever the region upstream of the C-terminal motifs (MIK region) from A. thaliana was taken, even when the PI-derived motif and the truncated paleoAP3 motif of CsAP3 substituted for the corresponding sequences from AtAP3. However, no or very weak complementation or gain-of-function was seen when the MIK region was from CsAP3. Our data suggest that changes in the MIK region rather than mutations in the C-terminal domain were of crucial importance for the evolution of the functional specificity of euAP3-type proteins in stamen and petal development.     

miR172 regulates stem cell fate and defines the inner boundary of APETALA3 and PISTILLATA expression domain in Arabidopsis floral meristems

In Arabidopsis, two floral homeotic genes APETALA2 (AP2) and AGAMOUS (AG) specify the identities of perianth and reproductive organs, respectively, in flower development. The two genes act antagonistically to restrict each other to their proper domains of action within the floral meristem. In addition to AG, which antagonizes AP2, miR172, a microRNA, serves as a negative regulator of AP2. In this study, we showed that AG and miR172 have distinct functions in flower development and that they largely act independently in the negative regulation of AP2. We uncovered functions of miR172-mediated repression of AP2 in the regulation of floral stem cells and in the delineation of the expression domain of another class of floral homeotic genes. Given the antiquity of miR172 in land plants, our findings have implications for the recruitment of a microRNA in the building of a flower in evolution.     

草莓APETALA2同源基因的克隆及表达分析

利用同源克隆方法首次从草莓花芽cDNA中分离出APETALA2同源基因SAP2。SAP2全长182bp,编码435个氨基酸。序列分析表明,SAP2具有AP2家族典型的结构域。采用RT-PCR方法分析SAP2在不同组织中的表达情况,结果显示SAP2在草莓营养组织、花芽以及不同花器官中均有表达,与拟南芥AP2、矮牵牛PhAP2A的表达模式一致。以上结果说明SAP2是草莓的AP2同源基因。     

Mutual regulation of Arabidopsis thaliana ethylene-responsive element binding protein and a plant floral homeotic gene, APETALA2

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: It has previously been shown that Arabidopsis thaliana ethylene-responsive element binding protein (AtEBP) contributed to resistance to abiotic stresses. Interestingly, it has also been reported that expression of ethylene-responsive factor (ERF) genes including AtEBP were regulated by the activity of APETALA2 (AP2), a floral homeotic factor. AP2 is known to regulate expression of several floral-specific homeotic genes such as AGAMOUS. The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between AP2 and AtEBP in gene expression. METHODS: Northern blot analysis was performed on ap2 mutants, ethylene-related Arabidopsis mutants and transgenic Arabidopsis plants over-expressing AtEBP, and a T-DNA insertional mutant of AtEBP. Phenotypic analysis of these plants was performed. KEY RESULTS: Expression levels of ERF genes such as AtEBP and AtERF1 were increased in ap2 mutants. Over-expression of AtEBP caused upregulation of AP2 expression in leaves. AP2 expression was suppressed by the null-function of ethylene-insensitive2 (EIN2), although AP2 expression was not affected by ethylene treatment. Loss of AtEBP function slightly reduced the average number of stamens. CONCLUSIONS: AP2 and AtEBP are mutually regulated in terms of gene expression. AP2 expression was affected by EIN2 but was not regulated by ethylene treatment.     

落叶松APETALA2-Like转录因子基因的分离及功能分析

以落叶松转录组测序数据为基础,利用RT-PCR从落叶松中分离出一个1590 bp的APETALA2-Like转录因子基因全长编码序列,命名为La AP2L1。蛋白质特性分析显示La AP2L1编码529个氨基酸,为亲水性蛋白,相对分子质量为58.327 k D,等电点为6.45。二级结构主要由α-螺旋(alpha helix)、β-折叠(strand)和环肽链(loop)组成。多重序列比对和系统进化分析表明La AP2L1所编码的氨基酸与黑松、云杉等亲缘关系最近。同时,通过构建植物表达载体,利用浸花法转化模式植物拟南芥的功能研究发现,与转空载体对照拟南芥相比,过量表达La AP2L1的转基因拟南芥的叶片、茎、花和株高都显著增大、增高,表明落叶松La AP2L1转录因子可能参与了植物器官发育的调节。     

Conservation and divergence of APETALA1/FRUITFULL-like gene function in grasses: evidence from gene expression analyses

Duplicated APETALA1/FRUITFULL (AP1/FUL) genes show distinct but overlapping patterns of expression within rice (Oryza sativa) and within ryegrass (Lolium temulentum), suggesting discrete functional roles in the transition to flowering, specification of spikelet meristem identity, and specification of floral organ identity. In this study, we analyzed the expression of the AP1/FUL paralogues FUL1 and FUL2 across phylogenetically disparate grasses to test hypotheses of gene function. In combination with other studies, our data support similar roles for both genes in spikelet meristem identity, a general role for FUL1 in floral organ identity, and a more specific role for FUL2 in outer floral whorl identity. In contrast to Arabidopsis AP1/FUL genes, expression of FUL1 and FUL2 is consistent with an early role in the transition to flowering. In general, FUL1 has a wider expression pattern in all spikelet organs than FUL2, but both genes are expressed in all spikelet organs in some cereals. FUL1 and FUL2 appear to have multiple redundant functions in early inflorescence development. We hypothesize that sub-functionalization of FUL2 and interaction of FUL2 with LHS1 could specify lemma and palea identity in the grass floret.     

Phylogeny, taxonomy, and evolution of the endothelin receptor gene family

A gene phylogeny provides the natural historical order to classify genes and to understand their functional, structural, and genomic diversity. The gene family of endothelin receptors (EDNR) is responsible for many key physiological and developmental processes of tetrapods and teleosts. This study provides a well-defined gene phylogeny for the EDNR family, which is used to classify its members and to assess their evolution. The EDNR phylogeny supports the recognition of the EDNRA, EDNRB, and EDNRC subfamilies, as well as more lineage-specific duplicates of teleosts and the African clawed frog. The duplications for these nominal genes are related to the various whole-genome amplifications of vertebrates, jawed vertebrates, fishes, and frog. The EDNR phylogeny also identifies several gene losses, including that of EDNRC from placental and marsupial (therian) mammals. When coupled with structural and biochemical information, site-specific analyses of evolutionary rate shifts reveal two distinct patterns of potential functional changes at the sequence level between therian versus non-therian EDNRA and EDNRB (i.e., between groups without and with EDNRC). An analysis of linkage maps and tetrapod synteny further suggests that the loss of therian EDNRC may be related to a chromosomal deletion in its common ancestor.     

A description of the Mei2-like protein family; structure,phylogenetic distribution and biological context

The Schizosaccharomyces pombe Mei2 gene encodes an RNA recognition motif (RRM) protein that stimulates meiosis upon binding a specific non-coding RNA and subsequent accumulation in a "mei2-dot" in the nucleus. We present here the first systematic characterization of the family of proteins with characteristic Mei2-like amino acid sequences. Mei2-like proteins are an ancient eukaryotic protein family with three identifiable RRMs. The C-terminal RRM (RRM3) is unique to Mei2-like proteins and is the most highly conserved of the three RRMs. RRM3 also contains conserved sequence elements at its C-terminus not found in other RRM domains. Single copy Mei2-like genes are present in some fungi, in alveolates such as Paramecium and in the early branching eukaryote Entamoeba histolytica, while plants contain small families of Mei2-like genes. While the C-terminal RRM is highly conserved between plants and fungi, indicating conservation of molecular mechanisms, plant Mei2-like genes have changed biological context to regulate various aspects of developmental pattern formation.     

甜荞FaesAP2基因的克隆与表达分析

本研究采用同源克隆和RACE技术,从甜荞（Fagopyrum esculentum Moench.）品种'西农9976'中分离出调控花器官发育的FaesAP2基因,该基因序列全长1668 bp,包含1个长为1374 bp的完整开放阅读框,共编码457个氨基酸。序列比对以及系统发育分析结果发现,FaesAP2蛋白拥有2个高度保守的AP2（APETALA2）结构域,在第1个AP2结构域前端有1段由10个氨基酸残基组成的高度保守的核定位信号区;系统发育分析显示其与拟南芥（Arabidopsis thaliana（L.） Heynh.） AP2转录因子的亲缘关系较近。基因表达模式分析表明,该基因在甜荞pin型和thrum型花的雄蕊和雌蕊中有明显的表达,但在幼叶和花被片中不表达,且其表达量在2种类型花不同发育时期呈现明显的变化,均在花药迅速膨大期达到最高值,因此推测该基因在甜荞花发育过程中可能参与了花器官发育的调控。     

Bcl-2-related protein family gene expression during oligodendroglial differentiation

Oligodendroglial lineage cells (OLC) vary in susceptibility to both necrosis and apoptosis depending on their developmental stages, which might be regulated by differential expression of Bcl-2-related genes. As an initial step to test this hypothesis, we examined the expression of 19 Bcl-2-related genes in purified cultures of rat oligodendroglial progenitors, immature and mature oligodendrocytes. All 'multidomain' anti-apoptotic members (Bcl-x, Bcl-2, Mcl-1, Bcl-w and Bcl2l10/Diva/Boo) except Bcl2a1/A1 are expressed in OLC. Semiquantitative and real-time RT-PCR revealed that Bcl-xL and Mcl-1 mRNAs are the dominant anti-apoptotic members and increase four- and twofold, respectively, with maturation. Bcl-2 mRNA is less abundant than Bcl-xL mRNA in progenitors and falls an additional 10-fold during differentiation. Bcl-w mRNA also increases, with significant changes in its splicing pattern, as OLC mature. Transfection studies demonstrated that Bcl-xL overexpression protects against kainate-induced excitotoxicity, whereas Bcl-2 overexpression does not. As for 'multidomain' pro-apoptotic members (Bax, Bad and Bok/Mtd), Bax and Bak are highly expressed throughout differentiation. Among 'BH3 domain-only' members examined (Bim, Biklk, DP5/Hrk, Bad, Bid, Noxa, Puma/Bbc3, Bmf, BNip3 and BNip3L), BNip3 and Bmf mRNAs increase markedly during differentiation. These results provide basic information to guide further studies on the roles for Bcl-2-related family proteins in OLC death.     

Pre-miR172及miR172调控油菜AP2基因表达的规律分析

为探究油菜miR172前体(pre-miR172)及成熟体(miR172)对AP2基因的调控功能,该研究通过生物信息学方法对miR172和AP2启动子进行调控元件预测,分析6条油菜AP2基因的进化关系及miR172与AP2的靶向关系; 通过qRT-PCR方法检测AP2、miR172和pre-miR172在早熟和晚熟油菜不同组织的表达规律; 比较分析miR172丰度和AP2表达量间的相关关系,以及比较分析 pre-miR172和miR172在表达水平上的相关关系; 通过过表达pre-miR172,再次验证pre-miR172对成熟体miR172及AP2的作用。结果表明:(1)miR172和AP2启动子区均存在调控花发育的顺式元件。(2)6条AP2序列均经历了强烈的纯化选择,均具备miR172的结合位点,属miR172的靶基因。(3)miR172家族成员均可促进早熟油菜AP2表达,但miR172d作用不明显。在晚熟油菜中,miR172a和miR172c作用微弱,miR172b和miR172d二者共同发挥作用降低AP2的表达水平。(4)pre-miR172家族对于早熟油菜中miR172家族的表达水平均有促进作用; 在晚熟油菜中pre-miR172a和pre-miR172b对其成熟序列的形成发挥正调控作用,pre-miR172c和pre-miR172d则对于其成熟序列的形成发挥负调控作用。过表达pre-miR172后,miR172和AP2表达规律与上述结果保持一致,证实pre-miR172对miR172及AP2的调控功能。该研究结果丰富了油菜AP2基因的功能调控路径,为基因的调控功能研究提供了新的思路。