c-MYB oncogene-like genes encoding three MYB repeats occur in all major plant lineages

Since the identification of the first plant MYB-like protein, the Zea mays factor C1, the number of MYB-related genes described has greatly increased. All of the more than 150 plant MYB-like proteins known so far contain either two or only one sequence-related helix-turn-helix motif in their DNA-binding domain. Animal c-MYB genes contain three such helix-turn-helix motif-encoding repeats (R1R2R3 class genes). It has therefore been concluded that R2R3-MYB genes are the plant equivalents of c-MYB and that there are significant differences in the basic structure of MYB genes of plants and animals. Here, we describe expressed R1R2R3-MYB genes from Physcomitrella patients++ and Arabidopsis thaliana, designated PpMYB3R-1 and AtMYB3R-1. The amino acid sequences of their DNA-binding domains show high similarity to those of animal MYB factors, and less similarity to R2R3-MYB proteins from plants. In addition, R1R2R3-MYB genes were identified in different plant evolutionary lineages including mosses, ferns and monocots. Our data show that a DNA-binding domain consisting of three MYB repeats existed before the divergence of the animal and plant lineages. R1R2R3-MYB genes may have a conserved function in eukaryotes, and R2R3-MYB genes may predominantly regulate plant-specific processes which evolved during plant speciation.     

拟南芥R2R3-MYB类转录因子在环境胁迫中的作用

MYB转录因子是植物转录因子中最大的家族之一,以含有保守的MYB结构域为共同特征,分为三个亚族（R1／2-MYB、R2R3-MYB和R1R2R3-MYB）,其中含有两个MYB结构域的R2R3-MYB成员最多,广泛参与植物次生代谢调控、细胞形态发生、胁迫应答、分生组织形成及细胞周期控制等。近年来,R2R3-MYB在植物逆境胁迫中的作用引起了广泛关注,本文综述了拟南芥R2R3-MYB蛋白在环境胁迫响应中作用的研究进展。     

糜子抗旱节水相关基因PmMYB的克隆及表达分析

根据在糜子抗旱节水分子基础研究中获得的一个糜子MYB基因的EST序列, 以其序列及水稻MYB18基因的序列为基础设计引物, 扩增得到1 739 bp的全长基因组序列。序列分析表明, 其包含121 bp(347~467 bp)和93 bp(599~691 bp)的两个内含子, 3个外显子; 全长cDNA序列为1 525 bp, 其中3′非翻译区为212 bp, 5′非翻译区为41 bp, 编码区为1 272 bp, 共编码424个氨基酸, C-端存在一个丝氨酸(Ser, S)丰富区。该基因具有两个典型的MYB类转录因子基因的DNA结合区(DNA-binding domain), 分别为13~63、66~114位氨基酸, 属于典型的R2R3-MYB转录因子。对其与水稻、玉米、火炬松、拟南芥、辣椒、陆地棉、大麦及茄子等9种植物的MYB基因的R2、R3重复区的氨基酸序列多重比较, 表明R2R3重复序列在植物中具有较高的保守性; 基于氨基酸序列的编码区系统进化树分析表明, 不同植物的MYB基因遗传分化很大, 序列相似性为32%~84%, 其中糜子MYB基因与水稻的MYB18相似程度最高(84%), 与大麦和玉米的相似性分别为46%和41%。通过半定量RT-PCR对其表达模式分析表明, 该基因在水分胁迫和干旱后复水条件下上调表达, 与糜子抗旱节水紧密相关。该基因的克隆为进一步探讨利用该基因改良其他植物的抗旱节水性奠定了良好的基础。