Department of Botany and Microbiology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2011;6(6):e21805. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0021805. Epub 2011 Jun 30.
Nuclear Factor Y (NF-Y) is a heterotrimeric transcription factor composed of NF-YA, NF-YB and NF-YC proteins. Using the dicot plant model system Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis), NF-Y were previously shown to control a variety of agronomically important traits, including drought tolerance, flowering time, and seed development. The aim of the current research was to identify and characterize NF-Y families in the emerging monocot model plant Brachypodium distachyon (Brachypodium) with the long term goal of assisting in the translation of known dicot NF-Y functions to the grasses.
METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We identified, annotated, and further characterized 7 NF-YA, 17 NF-YB, and 12 NF-YC proteins in Brachypodium (BdNF-Y). By examining phylogenetic relationships, orthology predictions, and tissue-specific expression patterns for all 36 BdNF-Y, we proposed numerous examples of likely functional conservation between dicots and monocots. To test one of these orthology predictions, we demonstrated that a BdNF-YB with predicted orthology to Arabidopsis floral-promoting NF-Y proteins can rescue a late flowering Arabidopsis mutant.
CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The Brachypodium genome encodes a similar complement of NF-Y to other sequenced angiosperms. Information regarding NF-Y phylogenetic relationships, predicted orthologies, and expression patterns can facilitate their study in the grasses. The current data serves as an entry point for translating many NF-Y functions from dicots to the genetically tractable monocot model system Brachypodium. In turn, studies of NF-Y function in Brachypodium promise to be more readily translatable to the agriculturally important grasses.
核因子 Y（NF-Y）是一种由 NF-YA、NF-YB 和 NF-YC 蛋白组成的异三聚体转录因子。使用双子叶植物模式系统拟南芥（Arabidopsis），NF-Y 先前被证明可以控制多种重要的农艺性状，包括耐旱性、开花时间和种子发育。本研究的目的是鉴定和描述新兴的单子叶模式植物短柄草（Brachypodium distachyon）中的 NF-Y 家族，其长期目标是协助将已知的双子叶 NF-Y 功能转化为禾本科。
方法/主要发现：我们在短柄草（Brachypodium）中鉴定、注释并进一步描述了 7 个 NF-YA、17 个 NF-YB 和 12 个 NF-YC 蛋白（BdNF-Y）。通过检查所有 36 个 BdNF-Y 的系统发育关系、同源预测和组织特异性表达模式，我们提出了许多单子叶植物和双子叶植物之间可能存在功能保守的例子。为了验证其中一个同源预测，我们证明了一个预测与拟南芥促进开花的 NF-Y 蛋白具有同源性的 BdNF-YB 可以挽救拟南芥晚花突变体。
结论/意义：短柄草基因组编码的 NF-Y 与其他已测序的被子植物相似。关于 NF-Y 系统发育关系、预测的同源性和表达模式的信息可以促进它们在禾本科中的研究。目前的数据为将许多 NF-Y 功能从双子叶植物转化为遗传上易于处理的单子叶模式系统短柄草提供了一个切入点。反过来，研究 NF-Y 在短柄草中的功能有望更易于转化为对农业重要的禾本科。
