一种植物细胞壁松驰蛋白:膨胀素

在植物细胞的生长过程中 ,多糖和蛋白质分泌到细胞壁里层 ,并形成具有一定机械强度的网络 ,这个网络是能伸展的 ,除非细胞停止生长。在细胞的生长过程中 ,一种细胞壁蛋白—膨胀素首次被鉴定出来具有使细胞壁的多糖网络疏松的能力 ,从而使膨压驱动的细胞扩大。膨胀素由两个多基因家族即α -膨胀素和 β -膨胀素多基因家族编码 ,每种基因的表达具有部位和细胞类型的特异性 ,但最新的研究也表明拟南芥中的膨胀素可以分为三个亚家族。越来越多的膨胀素基因从各种植物中鉴定出来 ,系统分析显示它们可能从一个共同的祖先基因进化而来。膨胀素的作用机理研究的还不是很清楚 ,但因为它们具有特别的功能 ,因此展现出良好的工业化应用前景。     

The complete set of genes encoding major intrinsic proteins in Arabidopsis provides a framework for a new nomenclature for major intrinsic proteins in plants

Major intrinsic proteins (MIPs) facilitate the passive transport of small polar molecules across membranes. MIPs constitute a very old family of proteins and different forms have been found in all kinds of living organisms, including bacteria, fungi, animals, and plants. In the genomic sequence of Arabidopsis, we have identified 35 different MIP-encoding genes. Based on sequence similarity, these 35 proteins are divided into four different subfamilies: plasma membrane intrinsic proteins, tonoplast intrinsic proteins, NOD26-like intrinsic proteins also called NOD26-like MIPs, and the recently discovered small basic intrinsic proteins. In Arabidopsis, there are 13 plasma membrane intrinsic proteins, 10 tonoplast intrinsic proteins, nine NOD26-like intrinsic proteins, and three small basic intrinsic proteins. The gene structure in general is conserved within each subfamily, although there is a tendency to lose introns. Based on phylogenetic comparisons of maize (Zea mays) and Arabidopsis MIPs (AtMIPs), it is argued that the general intron patterns in the subfamilies were formed before the split of monocotyledons and dicotyledons. Although the gene structure is unique for each subfamily, there is a common pattern in how transmembrane helices are encoded on the exons in three of the subfamilies. The nomenclature for plant MIPs varies widely between different species but also between subfamilies in the same species. Based on the phylogeny of all AtMIPs, a new and more consistent nomenclature is proposed. The complete set of AtMIPs, together with the new nomenclature, will facilitate the isolation, classification, and labeling of plant MIPs from other species.     

Genome-Wide Analysis of the Expansin Gene Superfamily Reveals Grapevine-Specific Structural and Functional Characteristics

Background

Expansins are proteins that loosen plant cell walls in a pH-dependent manner, probably by increasing the relative movement among polymers thus causing irreversible expansion. The expansin superfamily (EXP) comprises four distinct families: expansin A (EXPA), expansin B (EXPB), expansin-like A (EXLA) and expansin-like B (EXLB). There is experimental evidence that EXPA and EXPB proteins are required for cell expansion and developmental processes involving cell wall modification, whereas the exact functions of EXLA and EXLB remain unclear. The complete grapevine (Vitis vinifera) genome sequence has allowed the characterization of many gene families, but an exhaustive genome-wide analysis of expansin gene expression has not been attempted thus far.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We identified 29 EXP superfamily genes in the grapevine genome, representing all four EXP families. Members of the same EXP family shared the same exon–intron structure, and phylogenetic analysis confirmed a closer relationship between EXP genes from woody species, i.e. grapevine and poplar (Populus trichocarpa), compared to those from Arabidopsis thaliana and rice (Oryza sativa). We also identified grapevine-specific duplication events involving the EXLB family. Global gene expression analysis confirmed a strong correlation among EXP genes expressed in mature and green/vegetative samples, respectively, as reported for other gene families in the recently-published grapevine gene expression atlas. We also observed the specific co-expression of EXLB genes in woody organs, and the involvement of certain grapevine EXP genes in berry development and post-harvest withering.

Conclusion

Our comprehensive analysis of the grapevine EXP superfamily confirmed and extended current knowledge about the structural and functional characteristics of this gene family, and also identified properties that are currently unique to grapevine expansin genes. Our data provide a model for the functional characterization of grapevine gene families by combining phylogenetic analysis with global gene expression profiling.     

植物细胞壁松弛蛋白——膨胀素

膨胀素(expansin,也称作扩张素或扩张蛋白)是一种引起植物细胞壁松弛的蛋白质,在植物细胞伸展以及一系列涉及细胞壁修饰的生命活动中起着关键作用。膨胀素由多基因家族编码,目前的研究表明膨胀素超家族由4个基因亚家族构成。膨胀素存在于不同的种属植物中,并克隆了大量的扩张蛋白基因。综述了近年来国内外有关膨胀素基因和蛋白的结构特征及作用机制等方面的研究进展。     

New insight into the evolution of aquaporins from flowering plants and vertebrates: orthologous identification and functional transfer is possible

Aquaporins (AQPs) represent a family of channel proteins that transport water and/or small solutes across cell membranes in the three domains of life. In all previous phylogenetic analysis of aquaporin, trees constructed using proteins with very low amino acid identity (<15%) were incongruent with rRNA data. In this work, restricting the evolutionary study of aquaporins to proteins with high amino acid identity (>25%), we showed congruence between AQPs and organismal trees. On the basis of this analysis, we defined 19 orthologous gene clusters in flowering plant species (3 PIP-like, 7 TIP-like, 6 NIP-like and 3 SIP-like). We described specific conserved motifs for each subfamily and each cluster, which were used to develop a method for automatic classification. Analysis of amino acid identity between orthologous monocotyledon and dicotyledon AQPs from each cluster, suggested that PIPs are under high evolutionary constraint. The phylogenetic analysis allowed us the assignment of orthologous aquaporins for very distant animal lineages (tetrapods-fishes). We also demonstrated that the location of all vertebrate AQPs in the ortholog clusters could be predicted by comparing their amino acid identity with human AQPs. We defined four AQP subfamilies in animals: AQP1-like, AQP8-like, AQP3-like and AQP11-like. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the four animal AQPs subfamilies are related with PIP-like, TIP-like, NIP-like and SIP-like subfamilies, respectively. Thus, this analysis would allow the prediction of individual AQPs function on the basis of orthologous genes from Arabidopsis thaliana and Homo sapiens.     

Inventory and comparative analysis of rice and Arabidopsis ATP-binding cassette (ABC) systems

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) proteins constitute a large superfamily found in all kingdoms of living organisms. The recent completion of two draft sequences of the rice (Oryza sativa) genome allowed us to analyze and classify its ABC proteins and to compare to those in Arabidopsis thaliana. We identified a similar number of ABC proteins in rice and Arabidopsis (121 versus 120), despite the rice genome being more than three times the size of Arabidopsis. Both Arabidopsis and rice have representative members in all seven major subfamilies of ABC ATPases (A to G) commonly found in eukaryotes. This comparative analysis allowed the detection of 29 potential orthologous sequences in Arabidopsis and rice. However, plant share with prokaryotes a specific set of ABC systems that is not detected in animals. These ABC systems might be inherited from the cyanobacterial ancestor of chloroplasts. The present work provides the first complete inventory of rice ABC proteins and an updated inventory of those proteins in Arabidopsis.     

番茄WOX转录因子家族的鉴定及其进化、表达分析

WUSCHEL相关的同源异型盒(WUSCHEL-related homeobox,WOX)是一类植物特异的转录因子家族,具有调控植物干细胞分裂分化动态平衡等重要功能。本研究利用番茄(Solanum lycopersicum)基因组数据,通过建立隐马尔科夫模型并进行检索,鉴定了番茄10个WOX转录因子家族成员。多序列比对发现,番茄WOX转录因子家族成员具有高度保守的同源异型结构域;以拟南芥WOX转录因子家族成员序列为参照,通过邻接法、极大似然法、贝叶斯法重建了系统发育树,三者呈现出类似的拓扑结构,番茄和拟南芥WOX转录因子家族共25个成员被分为3个进化支(Clade)和9个亚家族(Subgroup);利用MEME和GSDS对WOX转录因子家族成员的蛋白保守结构域和基因结构进行了分析,同一亚家族内的WOX转录因子家族成员的保守结构域的种类、组织形式以及基因结构具有高度的一致性;利用Perl和Orthomcl对家族成员的染色体定位和同源性关系进行分析,结果表明串联重复的SlWOX3a和SlWOX3b可能来源于一次复制事件;利用番茄转录组数据和qRT-PCR进行表达分析,结果显示家族成员在不同组织中的表达存在差异,暗示了WOX家族的不同成员在功能上可能具有多样性。本研究对番茄WOX转录因子家族成员进行GO(Gene Ontology)注释和比较分析,结果表明该家族成员作为转录因子,可能在组织器官发育、细胞间通讯等过程中发挥作用。     

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。     

A genome-wide analysis of the expansin genes in Malus × Domestica

Expansins were first identified as cell wall-loosening proteins; they are involved in regulating cell expansion, fruits softening and many other physiological processes. However, our knowledge about the expansin family members and their evolutionary relationships in fruit trees, such as apple, is limited. In this study, we identified 41 members of the expansin gene family in the genome of apple (Malus × Domestica L. Borkh). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that expansin genes in apple could be divided into four subfamilies according to their gene structures and protein motifs. By phylogenetic analysis of the expansins in five plants (Arabidopsis, rice, poplar, grape and apple), the expansins were divided into 17 subgroups. Our gene duplication analysis revealed that whole-genome and chromosomal-segment duplications contributed to the expansion of Mdexpansins. The microarray and expressed sequence tag (EST) data showed that 34 Mdexpansin genes could be divided into five groups by the EST analysis; they may also play different roles during fruit development. An expression model for MdEXPA16 and MdEXPA20 showed their potential role in developing fruit. Overall, our study provides useful data and novel insights into the functions and regulatory mechanisms of the expansin genes in apple, as well as their evolution and divergence. As the first step towards genome-wide analysis of the expansin genes in apple, our results have established a solid foundation for future studies on the function of the expansin genes in fruit development.     

Use of genomic history to improve phylogeny and understanding of births and deaths in a gene family

Polyploidy events have played an important role in the evolution of angiosperm genomes. Here, we demonstrate how genomic histories can increase phylogenetic resolution in a gene family, specifically the expansin superfamily of cell wall proteins. There are 36 expansins in Arabidopsis and 58 in rice. Traditional sequence-based phylogenetic trees yield poor resolution below the family level. To improve upon these analyses, we searched for gene colinearity (microsynteny) between Arabidopsis and rice genomic segments containing expansin genes. Multiple rounds of genome duplication and extensive gene loss have obscured synteny. However, by simultaneously aligning groups of up to 10 potentially orthologous segments from the two species, we traced the history of 49 out of 63 expansin-containing segments back to the ancestor of monocots and eudicots. Our results indicate that this ancestor had 15-17 expansin genes, each ancestral to an extant clade. Some clades have strikingly different growth patterns in the rice and Arabidopsis lineages, with more than half of all rice expansins arising from two ancestral genes. Segmental duplications, most of them part of polyploidy events, account for 12 out of 21 new expansin genes in Arabidopsis and 16 out of 44 in rice. Tandem duplications explain most of the rest. We were also able to estimate a minimum of 28 gene deaths in the Arabidopsis lineage and nine in rice. This analysis greatly clarifies expansin evolution since the last common ancestor of monocots and eudicots and the method should be broadly applicable to many other gene families.     

The Arabidopsis thaliana ABC protein superfamily, a complete inventory

We describe the first complete inventory of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) proteins from a multicellular organism, the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. By the application of several search criteria, Arabidopsis was found to contain a total of 129 open reading frames (ORFs) capable of encoding ABC proteins, of which 103 possessed contiguous transmembrane spans and were identified as putative intrinsic membrane proteins. Fifty-two of the putative intrinsic membrane proteins contained at least two transmembrane domains (TMDs) and two nucleotide-binding folds (NBFs) and could be classified as belonging to one of five subfamilies of full-molecule transporters. The other 51 putative membrane proteins, all of which were half-molecule transporters, fell into five subfamilies. Of the remaining ORFs identified, all of which encoded proteins lacking TMDs, 11 could be classified into three subfamilies. There were no obvious homologs in other organisms for 15 of the ORFs which encoded a heterogeneous group of non-intrinsic ABC proteins (NAPs). Unrooted phylogenetic analyses substantiated the subfamily designations. Notable features of the Arabidopsis ABC superfamily was the presence of a large yeast-like PDR subfamily, and the absence of genes encoding bona fide cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), sulfonylurea receptor (SUR), and heavy metal tolerance factor 1 (HMT1) homologs. Arabidopsis was unusual in its large allocation of ORFs (a minimum of 0.5%) to members of the ABC protein superfamily.     

Homology modeling of major intrinsic proteins in rice,maize and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis</Emphasis>: comparative analysis of transmembrane helix association and aromatic/arginine selectivity filters

Background  

The major intrinsic proteins (MIPs) facilitate the transport of water and neutral solutes across the lipid bilayers. Plant MIPs are believed to be important in cell division and expansion and in water transport properties in response to environmental conditions. More than 30 MIP sequences have been identified in Arabidopsis thaliana, maize and rice. Plasma membrane intrinsic proteins (PIPs), tonoplast intrinsic proteins (TIPs), Nod26-like intrinsic protein (NIPs) and small and basic intrinsic proteins (SIPs) are subfamilies of plant MIPs. Despite sequence diversity, all the experimentally determined structures belonging to the MIP superfamily have the same "hour-glass" fold.     

Inducible Repression of Multiple Expansin Genes Leads to Growth Suppression during Leaf Development

Expansins are cell wall proteins implicated in the control of plant growth via loosening of the extracellular matrix. They are encoded by a large gene family, and data linked to loss of single gene function to support a role of expansins in leaf growth remain limited. Here, we provide a quantitative growth analysis of transgenics containing an inducible artificial microRNA construct designed to down-regulate the expression of a number of expansin genes that an expression analysis indicated are expressed during the development of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) leaf 6. The results support the hypothesis that expansins are required for leaf growth and show that decreased expansin gene expression leads to a more marked repression of growth during the later stage of leaf development. In addition, a histological analysis of leaves in which expansin gene expression was suppressed indicates that, despite smaller leaves, mean cell size was increased. These data provide functional evidence for a role of expansins in leaf growth, indicate the importance of tissue/organ developmental context for the outcome of altered expansin gene expression, and highlight the separation of the outcome of expansin gene expression at the cellular and organ levels.     

水稻与拟南芥PHD-finger蛋白的系统分析

PHD-finger(plant homeodomain finger)是具Cys4-His-Cys3特征结构的锌指蛋白结构域,它广泛存在于植物或动物转录调节蛋白中。此类蛋白在植物或动物蛋白质组中具有多个功能各异的家族成员,并在发育中扮演重要的角色。鉴定了水稻44个推定的非冗余PHD-finger蛋白,并与拟南芥蛋白质组中45个该家族成员进行了比较;所构建的2棵进化树涵盖了这89个蛋白质,暗示水稻、拟南芥与人的PHD-finger蛋白中存在共同祖先。     

Comprehensive analysis of CCCH-type zinc finger gene family in citrus (Clementine mandarin) by genome-wide characterization

The CCCH-type zinc finger proteins comprise a large gene family of regulatory proteins and are widely distributed in eukaryotic organisms. The CCCH proteins have been implicated in multiple biological processes and environmental responses in plants. Little information is available, however, about CCCH genes in plants, especially in woody plants such as citrus. The release of the whole-genome sequence of citrus allowed us to perform a genome-wide analysis of CCCH genes and to compare the identified proteins with their orthologs in model plants. In this study, 62 CCCH genes and a total of 132 CCCH motifs were identified, and a comprehensive analysis including the chromosomal locations, phylogenetic relationships, functional annotations, gene structures and conserved motifs was performed. Distribution mapping revealed that 54 of the 62 CCCH genes are unevenly dispersed on the nine citrus chromosomes. Based on phylogenetic analysis and gene structural features, we constructed 5 subfamilies of 62 CCCH members and integrative subfamilies from citrus, Arabidopsis, and rice, respectively. Importantly, large numbers of SNPs and InDels in 26 CCCH genes were identified from Poncirus trifoliata and Fortunella japonica using whole-genome deep re-sequencing. Furthermore, citrus CCCH genes showed distinct temporal and spatial expression patterns in different developmental processes and in response to various stress conditions. Our comprehensive analysis of CleC3Hs is a valuable resource that further elucidates the roles of CCCH family members in plant growth and development. In addition, variants and comparative genomics analyses deepen our understanding of the evolution of the CCCH gene family and will contribute to further genetics and genomics studies of citrus and other plant species.     

Genomic comparison of P-type ATPase ion pumps in Arabidopsis and rice

Members of the P-type ATPase ion pump superfamily are found in all three branches of life. Forty-six P-type ATPase genes were identified in Arabidopsis, the largest number yet identified in any organism. The recent completion of two draft sequences of the rice (Oryza sativa) genome allows for comparison of the full complement of P-type ATPases in two different plant species. Here, we identify a similar number (43) in rice, despite the rice genome being more than three times the size of Arabidopsis. The similarly large families suggest that both dicots and monocots have evolved with a large preexisting repertoire of P-type ATPases. Both Arabidopsis and rice have representative members in all five major subfamilies of P-type ATPases: heavy-metal ATPases (P1B), Ca2+-ATPases (endoplasmic reticulum-type Ca2+-ATPase and autoinhibited Ca2+-ATPase, P2A and P2B), H+-ATPases (autoinhibited H+-ATPase, P3A), putative aminophospholipid ATPases (ALA, P4), and a branch with unknown specificity (P5). The close pairing of similar isoforms in rice and Arabidopsis suggests potential orthologous relationships for all 43 rice P-type ATPases. A phylogenetic comparison of protein sequences and intron positions indicates that the common angiosperm ancestor had at least 23 P-type ATPases. Although little is known about unique and common features of related pumps, clear differences between some members of the calcium pumps indicate that evolutionarily conserved clusters may distinguish pumps with either different subcellular locations or biochemical functions.     

Phylogenetic analyses identify 10 classes of the protein disulfide isomerase family in plants, including single-domain protein disulfide isomerase-related proteins

Protein disulfide isomerases (PDIs) are molecular chaperones that contain thioredoxin (TRX) domains and aid in the formation of proper disulfide bonds during protein folding. To identify plant PDI-like (PDIL) proteins, a genome-wide search of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) was carried out to produce a comprehensive list of 104 genes encoding proteins with TRX domains. Phylogenetic analysis was conducted for these sequences using Bayesian and maximum-likelihood methods. The resulting phylogenetic tree showed that evolutionary relationships of TRX domains alone were correlated with conserved enzymatic activities. From this tree, we identified a set of 22 PDIL proteins that constitute a well-supported clade containing orthologs of known PDIs. Using the Arabidopsis PDIL sequences in iterative BLAST searches of public and proprietary sequence databases, we further identified orthologous sets of 19 PDIL sequences in rice (Oryza sativa) and 22 PDIL sequences in maize (Zea mays), and resolved the PDIL phylogeny into 10 groups. Five groups (I-V) had two TRX domains and showed structural similarities to the PDIL proteins in other higher eukaryotes. The remaining five groups had a single TRX domain. Two of these (quiescin-sulfhydryl oxidase-like and adenosine 5'-phosphosulfate reductase-like) had putative nonisomerase enzymatic activities encoded by an additional domain. Two others (VI and VIII) resembled small single-domain PDIs from Giardia lamblia, a basal eukaryote, and from yeast. Mining of maize expressed sequence tag and RNA-profiling databases indicated that members of all of the single-domain PDIL groups were expressed throughout the plant. The group VI maize PDIL ZmPDIL5-1 accumulated during endoplasmic reticulum stress but was not found within the intracellular membrane fractions and may represent a new member of the molecular chaperone complement in the cell.