A genome-wide survey on basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors in giant panda

The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is a critically endangered mammalian species. Studies on functions of regulatory proteins involved in developmental processes would facilitate understanding of specific behavior in giant panda. The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins play essential roles in a wide range of developmental processes in higher organisms. bHLH family members have been identified in over 20 organisms, including fruit fly, zebrafish, mouse and human. Our present study identified 107 bHLH family members being encoded in giant panda genome. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that they belong to 44 bHLH families with 46, 25, 15, 4, 11 and 3 members in group A, B, C, D, E and F, respectively, while the remaining 3 members were assigned into "orphan". Compared to mouse, the giant panda does not encode seven bHLH proteins namely Beta3a, Mesp2, Sclerax, S-Myc, Hes5 (or Hes6), EBF4 and Orphan 1. These results provide useful background information for future studies on structure and function of bHLH proteins in the regulation of giant panda development.     

Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis of Zebra Finch Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors

The zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) is an established organism for developmental, behavioral, and neurological research. In this study, we conducted a genomewide survey using the zebra finch genome project databases and identified 86 bHLH sequences in silico in the zebra finch genome. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that 85 proteins belong to 38 families with 29, 18, 18, 3, 11, and 6 bHLH members in supergroups A, B, C, D, E, and F, respectively. One orphan member belonged to none of these groups. Comparisons of zebra finch with chicken and human bHLH repertoires suggested that both humans and birds have a number of lineage-specific bHLH members. Chromosome distribution patterns and phylogenetic analysis suggest that the zebra finch bHLH members should have arisen through gene duplication. This study provides useful information for further research using zebra finch as a model system.     

Diversity of LTR-retrotransposons and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Enhancer/Suppressor</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">Mutator</Emphasis>-like transposons in cassava (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Manihot esculenta</Emphasis> Crantz)

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz), though a major world crop with enormous potential, is very under studied. Little is known about its genome structure and organisation. Transposable elements have a key role in the evolution of genome structure, and can be used as important tools in applied genetics. This paper sets out to survey the diversity of members of three major classes of transposable element within the cassava genome and in relation to similar elements in other plants. Members of two classes of LTR-retrotransposons, Ty1/copia-like and Ty3/gypsy-like, and of Enhancer/Suppressor Mutator (En/Spm)-like transposons were isolated and characterised. Analyses revealed 59 families of Ty1/copia, 26 families of Ty3/gypsy retrotransposons, and 40 families of En/Spm in the cassava genome. In the comparative analyses, the predicted amino acid sequences for these transposon classes were compared with those of related elements from other plant species. These revealed that there were multiple lineages of Ty1/copia-like retrotransposons in the genome of cassava and suggested that vertical and horizontal transmission as the source of cassava Mecops may not be mutually exclusive. For the Ty3/gypsy elements network, two groups of cassava Megyps were evident including the Arabidopsis Athila lineage. However, cassava En/Spm-like elements (Meens) constituted a single group within a network of plant En/Spm-like elements. Hybridisation analysis supported the presence of transposons in the genome of cassava in medium (Ty3/gypsy and En/Spm) to high (Ty1/copia) copy numbers. Thus the cassava genome was shown to contain diverse members of three major classes of transposable element; however, the different classes exhibited contrasting evolutionary histories.     

A genome-wide survey on basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors in rat and mouse

The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins play essential roles in a wide range of developmental processes in higher organisms. bHLH family members have been identified in over 20 organisms, including nematode, fruit fly, and human. Our study identified 114 rat and 14 additional mouse bHLH members in rat and mouse genomes, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that both rat and mouse had 49, 26, 15, 4, 12, and 4 bHLH members in groups A, B, C, D, E, and F, respectively. Only the rat Mxi1 gene has two copies in the genome. All other rat bHLH genes and all mouse bHLH genes are single-copy genes. The chromosomal distribution pattern of mouse, rat, and human bHLH genes suggests the emergence of some bHLH genes through gene duplication, which probably happened at least before the divergence of vertebrates from invertebrates. The present study provides useful information for future studies using rat as a model animal for mammalian development. X. Zheng and Y. Wang are jointly first authors. An erratum to this article can be found at     

Phylogenetic Analysis of Zebrafish Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors

The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins play important regulatory roles in eukaryotic developmental processes including neurogenesis, myogenesis, hematopoiesis, sex determination, and gut development. Zebrafish is a good model organism for developmental biology. In this study, we identified 139 bHLH genes encoded in the zebrafish genome. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that zebrafish has 58, 29, 21, 5, 19, and 5 bHLH members in groups A, B, C, D, E, and F, respectively, while 2 members were classified as “orphan.” A comparison between zebrafish and human bHLH repertoires suggested that both organisms have a certain number of specific bHLH members. Eight zebrafish bHLH genes were found to have multiple coding regions in the genome. Two of these, Bmal1 and MITF, are good anchor genes for identification of fish-specific whole-genome duplication events in comparison with mouse and chicken genomes. The present study provides useful information for future studies on gene family evolution and vertebrate development. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

bHLH转录因子家族研究进展

bHLH转录因子在真核生物生长发育调控中具有重要作用, 它们组成了转录因子的一个大家族。已经有20种生物基因组中bHLH家族的成员得到鉴定, 其中动物17种、植物2种、酵母1种。动物bHLH因其调控基因表达的功能不同而被分成45个家族; 此外, 根据它们所作用DNA元件和自身结构特点又被分成6个组。A组包含22个家族, 主要调控神经细胞生成、肌细胞生成和中胚层形成; B组包含12个家族, 主要调控细胞增殖与分化、固醇代谢与脂肪细胞形成以及葡萄糖响应基因的表达; C组包含7个家族, 主要负责调控中线与气管发育和昼夜节律、激活环境毒素响应基因的转录; D组只有1个家族, 它与A组bHLH蛋白形成无活性的异源二聚体; E组有2个家族, 调控胚胎分节、体节形成与器官发生等; F组也只有1个家族, 调控头部发育、嗅觉神经元生成等。文章综述了bHLH转录因子家族分类、起源、功能方面的研究进展情况。     

Genome-wide analysis of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter gene family in the silkworm, Bombyx mori

The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) superfamily is a larger protein family with diverse physiological functions in all kingdoms of life. We identified 53 ABC transporters in the silkworm genome, and classified them into eight subfamilies (A-H). Comparative genome analysis revealed that the silkworm has an expanded ABCC subfamily with more members than Drosophila melanogaster, Caenorhabditis elegans, or Homo sapiens. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the ABCE and ABCF genes were highly conserved in the silkworm, indicating possible involvement in fundamental biological processes. Five multidrug resistance-related genes in the ABCB subfamily and two multidrug resistance-associated-related genes in the ABCC subfamily indicated involvement in biochemical defense. Genetic variation analysis revealed four ABC genes that might be evolving under positive selection. Moreover, the silkworm ABCC4 gene might be important for silkworm domestication. Microarray analysis showed that the silkworm ABC genes had distinct expression patterns in different tissues on day 3 of the fifth instar. These results might provide new insights for further functional studies on the ABC genes in the silkworm genome.     

独行菜种子bHLH类转录因子基因家族及幼苗laICE1表达对冷胁迫的响应

该研究在转录组数据基础上,以独行菜(Lepidium apetalum Willd.)种子耐受和不能耐受低温萌发的2组样本为材料,对其bHLH转录因子家族成员进行分析,并对该家族成员表达差异极显著的laICE1基因进行克隆、序列分析、结构预测,以探讨独行菜幼苗中laICE1基因表达对低温胁迫的响应特征。结果表明:(1)萌发中的独行菜种子,至少有83个bHLH转录因子序列表达,相对于低温萌发停滞组,在低温萌发耐受组的独行菜种子中,有10个下调、13个上调、60个表达差异不显著。其中表达量极显著下调的序列c20009_g1具有1 503bp开放阅读框,GO注释到ICE1基因,该基因命名为laICE1。(2)laICE1基因编码500aa,蛋白分子量为54 635.19kD,理论等电点为5.45,分子式为C2364H3742N688O758S22;该蛋白具有保守结构域bHLH。(3)定量分析表明,laICE1基因在非低温胁迫的独行菜种子中的表达量显著低于一直处于低温胁迫中不能进行萌发的独行菜种子,这与转录组数据库中该序列表达情况一致;而laICE1基因在独行菜幼苗期经低温处理后,其表达量显著上调,表明laICE1基因可能在独行菜幼苗耐受低温生长中具有一定的作用。