Phylogenetic analysis of the plant-specific zinc finger-homeobox and mini zinc finger gene families

Zinc finger-homeodomain proteins (ZHD) are present in many plants; however, the evolutionary history of the ZHD gene family remains largely unknown. We show here that ZHD genes are plant-specific, nearly all intronless, and related to MINI ZINC FINGER ( MIF ) genes that possess only the zinc finger. Phylogenetic analyses of ZHD genes from representative land plants suggest that non-seed plant ZHD genes occupy basal positions and angiosperm homologs form seven distinct clades. Several clades contain genes from two or more major angiosperm groups, including eudicots, monocots, magnoliids, and other basal angiosperms, indicating that several duplications occurred before the diversification of flowering plants. In addition, specific lineages have experienced more recent duplications. Unlike the ZHD genes, MIF s are found only from seed plants, possibly derived from ZHD s by loss of the homeodomain before the divergence of seed plants. Moreover, the MIF genes have also undergone relatively recent gene duplications. Finally, genome duplication might have contributed substantially to the expansion of family size in angiosperms and caused a high level of functional redundancy/overlap in these genes.     

Comprehensive Analysis of Wall-Associated Kinase Genes and Their Expression Under Abiotic and Biotic Stress in Chinese Cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis)

The wall-associated kinase (WAK) gene family, a subfamily of the receptor-like kinase (RLK) gene family, is associated with the cell wall in plants, and has vital functions in cell expansion, pathogen resistance, and heavy metal stress tolerance because of their roles of the extracellular environment sensors to trigger intracellular signals in Arabidopsis. In the present study, 96 Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis) BrWAK gene family members were identified from the B. rapa genome using a reiterative database search and manual confirmation. The protein domain characterization, gene structure analysis, and phylogenetic analysis of the BrWAKs classified them into three gene groups. Comparative genomic analysis between WAK genes from Chinese cabbage and Arabidopsis revealed that the BrWAK genes have undergone the gene expansion and deletion events during evolution. Furthermore, the conserved motifs in the kinase domains of the WAK proteins and eukaryotic protein kinase family proteins were compared and some non-RD kinase proteins among the BrWAKs were identified. Ultimately, expression analysis of BrWAK genes in six tissues and under various stress conditions revealed that some tissue-specific WAK genes might function in callus cell growth and reproduction process; Bra012273, Bra016426, Bra016427, and Bra025882 might be involved in downy mildew resistance and high humidity stress; Bra012273, Bra025882, and Bra025883 might be responded to drought and heat stress. Taken together, this research was identified and classified the WAK gene family in Chinese cabbage and provided valuable resources to explore the potential roles of BrWAK genes in plant development and stress responses.

     

黄瓜霜霉病及寄主抗性机制研究进展

在黄瓜生产中,由古巴假霜霉菌(Pseudoperonospora cubensis)引起的霜霉病危害严重,影响叶、茎和花序生长发育,导致黄瓜产量及品质降低。通过对黄瓜霜霉病的病原菌检测和防御途径、影响及调控因素、抗病原菌候选基因发掘、蛋白质组和基因组分析、黄瓜霜霉病QTL连锁标记开发及其抗病育种等多方面的最新进展进行综述,以期为今后进一步揭示黄瓜乃至农作物对霜霉病的抗性机制研究提供借鉴和参考。     

Identification and characterization of potential NBS-encoding resistance genes and induction kinetics of a putative candidate gene associated with downy mildew resistance in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cucumis</Emphasis>

Background  

Due to the variation and mutation of the races of Pseudoperonospora cubensis, downy mildew has in recent years become the most devastating leaf disease of cucumber worldwide. Novel resistance to downy mildew has been identified in the wild Cucumis species, C. hystrix Chakr. After the successful hybridization between C. hystrix and cultivated cucumber (C. sativus L.), an introgression line (IL5211S) was identified as highly resistant to downy mildew. Nucleotide-binding site and leucine-rich repeat (NBS-LRR) genes are the largest class of disease resistance genes cloned from plant with highly conserved domains, which can be used to facilitate the isolation of candidate genes associated with downy mildew resistance in IL5211S.     

西瓜食酸菌与黄瓜互作转录组分析

【背景】细菌性果斑病是一种严重的种传细菌病害,其病原菌为西瓜食酸菌。截至目前对该病病原菌与寄主的互作机制认识极为有限。葫芦科的模式植物黄瓜易被西瓜食酸菌侵染发病,对西瓜食酸菌-黄瓜互作体系进行转录组分析,可以为探究西瓜食酸菌与寄主互作机制奠定重要基础。【目的】解析西瓜食酸菌-黄瓜互作时的相互响应规律。【方法】以细菌悬液注射接种6d黄瓜子叶,处理48 h的子叶作为转录组测序样本。利用RNA-Seq技术分析西瓜食酸菌FC440菌株与黄瓜9930品种互作时基因的表达特征。【结果】测序数据质量分析发现,各样品不同重复间相关性较强,与参考基因组比对率达95%以上,聚类分析发现对照组与处理组表达模式相反,样品处理达到一定效果,表明数据整体质量较高。选取6个差异表达基因进行RT-qPCR验证,结果显示6个基因的表达模式与转录组结果基本一致,表明转录组测序结果比较可靠。西瓜食酸菌和黄瓜互作48 h后,在转录组水平分别检测到1 618个和8 698个差异表达基因。Gene Ontology (GO)功能注释显示,细菌的差异基因显著富集在细胞组分中的细胞膜(37.5%)和膜部分(27.0%),生物过程中的氧化还原过程(66.7%)以及分子功能中的水解酶活性(66.5%);黄瓜的差异基因显著富集在细胞组分中的质体(22.2%)和叶绿体(21.3%),分子功能中的催化活性(70.0%)以及生物过程中的碳水化合物衍生物代谢(32.2%)。Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG)分析显示,细菌中致病相关基因显著富集在群体感应及细菌趋化性途径,而且群体感应系统基因下调更显著。黄瓜中调控钙依赖蛋白激酶(Calcium-Dependent Protein Kinase,CDPK)、钙调素和类钙调素(Calmodulin and Calmodulin-Like,CaMCML)及呼吸氧暴发激酶(Respiratory Burst Oxidase Homologne,Rboh)的基因总体上调,调控苯丙氨酸裂解酶(Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase,PAL)的基因和谷胱甘肽S-转移酶(Glutathione S-Transferase,GST)的基因在相应代谢途径中数量最多且上调程度明显。【结论】获得较高质量的西瓜食酸菌与黄瓜互作的转录组测序结果。群体感应与西瓜食酸菌FC440菌株致病力密切相关;寄主黄瓜应对西瓜食酸菌侵染以Ca~(2+)信号激活的防御反应为主。PAL和GST在黄瓜抵抗西瓜食酸菌侵染中发挥重要作用。本研究为进一步深入解析西瓜食酸菌与寄主互作的机制奠定了基础。     

Genome-Wide Characterization,Evolution, and Expression Analysis of the Ascorbate Peroxidase and Glutathione Peroxidase Gene Families in Response to Cold and Osmotic Stress in Ammopiptanthus nanus

Ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) are two families of essential peroxidases that maintain redox balance in cells by catalyzing the reduction of hydrogen peroxide. Ammopiptanthus nanus is a rare broad-leaved evergreen shrub that lives in the temperate desert areas of Central Asia and exhibits strong resistance to low temperature and water stress. GPX and APX family members might contribute to the stress response of A. nanus by participating in reactive oxygen species scavenging. In the present study, APX and GPX family members in A. nanus were identified and their structure, evolution, and expression patterns under stress conditions were investigated. A total of 8 GPX genes, 6 APX genes, and 1 APX-like gene were identified in A. nanus, and these genes were unevenly distributed on 7 chromosomes. These APXs and GPXs showed conservation in amino acid sequence, three-dimensional structure, and intron–exon structure. The GPX gene family in A. nanus expanded in gene number, and the expansions were mainly driven by segmental duplication caused by large-scale duplication events in the evolution of Tribe Sophoreae and might play important roles in the freezing and drought tolerance in A. nanus. Expression profiling based on RNA-seq datasets and qRT-PCR analysis showed that most of the APX and GPX members were differentially expressed under osmotic and cold stress, which is in line with the high copies of stress and hormone response-related cis-acting elements predicted from the promoters of the APX and GPX family genes. The study provided new insight into the evolution of APX and GPX family and promoted the understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying the stress tolerance of A. nanus.

     

Bioassay‐Guided Isolation of Antifungal Compounds from Disporopsis aspersa (Hua) Engl. ex Diels against Pseudoperonospora cubensis and Phytophthora infestans

Oomycetes are one type of the most highly destructive of the diseases that cause damage to some important crop plants, such as potato late blight, cucumber downy mildew, and grape downy mildew. As main approach of the ongoing search for new botanical fungicide from plant, the secondary metabolites of D. aspersa were investigated. Through efficient bioassay‐guided isolation, two new ( 1 and 2 ) and 12 known compounds ( 3  –  14 ) were isolated, and their structures were determined via extensive NMR, HR‐ESI‐MS, and IR. They were isolated from this genus for the first time except for compounds 11 and 12 . The biological properties of 1  –  14 were evaluated against Pseudoperonospora cubensis and Phytophthora infestans. Compounds 1  –  8 showed potent antifungal activity in vitro. Additionally, compound 3 has preferable control effect on cucumber downy mildew, showing dual effect of protection and treatment in vivo.     

The genetic basis of resistance to downy mildew in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cucumis</Emphasis> spp.—latest developments and prospects

Downy mildew, caused by the Oomycete pathogen Pseudoperonospora cubensis, is one of the most destructive diseases of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) and muskmelon (C. melo L.). Although the process of pathogenesis is well understood, there are few disease control options available. The development and deployment of resistant cultivars is generally considered to be the best approach to control downy mildew. The recently completed sequencing of the cucumber genome provides a great opportunity for reliable and thorough study of the sequence and function of resistance genes in the Cucurbitaceae, which will help us to understand the resistance mechanisms and metabolic pathways activated by these genes. It can be anticipated that, in the near future, we will have more information about the genetic bases of resistance to downy mildew in Cucumis, which will facilitate efforts to breed for resistance to this pathogen.     

西葫芦NCED基因家族鉴定及其响应干旱胁迫分析

NCED基因家族成员在调节植物响应干旱胁迫中发挥着关键作用,该研究通过生物信息学技术分析NCED在西葫芦基因组中的分布、结构及进化,研究家族成员在不同组织中的表达特异性及其对10%PEG 6000模拟干旱、0.1 mmol·L-1ABA激素和自然干旱胁迫的响应,以解析NCED基因家族的生物学功能。结果表明:(1)从西葫芦全基因组中鉴定出6个NCED家族基因(CpNCED1~6),且6个基因均不含内含子、分别分布于西葫芦的1、10、12、14、19和20号共6条染色体上。(2)理化性质分析发现,CpNCED1~6蛋白长度为569~590 aa,理论分子量在62.64~65.54 kD之间。(3)蛋白保守元件分析显示,除CpNCED3蛋白在遗传进化过程中出现3个基序(motif 12、motif 13和motif 15)的缺失外,其余5个蛋白都有完整的16个motif保守基序,且分布在600个氨基酸以内,同时大部分NCED蛋白序列保守性较高。(4)顺式作用元件分析显示,西葫芦CpNCED1~6基因均含ABRE、W box、MBS、P-box、TCA-element、CGTCA-motif、TGA-element和TGA-box等潜在的干旱胁迫响应元件。(5)qRT-PCR分析表明,CpNCED1~6基因在西葫芦不同组织中的表达具有组织特异性,其中,CpNCED4和CpNCED1在茎中的表达量显著高于其他4个基因,CpNCED2、CpNCED4、CpNCED6在花中的表达显著高于其余3个基因且CpNCED2表达量最高,CpNCED1~6在果实和叶中的表达量均相对较低;与对照组相比,CpNCED1~6受模拟干旱、ABA激素和自然干旱胁迫均上调表达;伴随干旱胁迫的产生,叶片中脱落酸(ABA)含量逐渐升高,暗示CpNCEDs在西葫芦干旱胁迫响应与ABA的生物合成过程中发挥着正向调控作用。研究发现,6个CpNCED1~6基因与西葫芦干旱胁迫响应密切相关,且对西葫芦干旱胁迫的响应以及ABA生物合成具有重要作用,尤其以CpNCED2和CpNCED4基因的作用更为明显。