Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, Shihezi University, Shihezi, 832003, Xinjiang, China.
Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Key Laboratory of Special Fruits and Vegetables Cultivation Physiology and Germplasm Resources Utilization, Shihezi, 832003, Xinjiang, China.
Sci Rep. 2019 Aug 12;9(1):11643. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-48287-x.
Fifty-two GRAS genes are identified in walnut genome. Based on the evolutionary relationship and motif analysis, the walnut GRAS gene family was divided into eight subfamilies, and the sequence features analysis of JrGRAS proteins showed that the JrGRAS protein sequences were both conserved and altered during the evolutionary process. Gene duplication analysis indicated that seven GRAS genes in walnut have orthologous genes in other species, and five of them occurred duplicated events in walnut genome. Expression pattern analysis of the GRAS family genes in walnut showed that two JrGRAS genes (JrCIGRa-b and JrSCL28a) were differentially expressed between flower bud and leaf bud (p < 0.01), and two JrGRAS genes (JrCIGRa-b and JrSCL13b-d) were differentially expressed between the different development stages of flower buds transition (p < 0.01), besides, three hub genes (JrGAIa, JrSCL3f and JrSHRc) were identified by co-expression analysis, which suggested these GRAS genes may play an important role in regulating the development of apical meristem in walnut. This study laid a foundation for further understanding of the function of GRAS family genes in walnut.
在核桃基因组中鉴定出 52 个 GRAS 基因。基于进化关系和基序分析，将核桃 GRAS 基因家族分为 8 个亚家族，JrGRAS 蛋白的序列特征分析表明，JrGRAS 蛋白序列在进化过程中既保守又改变。基因复制分析表明，核桃中有 7 个 GRAS 基因在其他物种中有直系同源基因，其中 5 个基因在核桃基因组中发生了复制事件。核桃 GRAS 家族基因的表达模式分析表明，两个 JrGRAS 基因（JrCIGRa-b 和 JrSCL28a）在花芽和叶芽之间差异表达（p<0.01），两个 JrGRAS 基因（JrCIGRa-b 和 JrSCL13b-d）在花芽不同发育阶段之间差异表达（p<0.01），此外，通过共表达分析鉴定出 3 个枢纽基因（JrGAIa、JrSCL3f 和 JrSHRc），这表明这些 GRAS 基因可能在调控核桃顶端分生组织发育中发挥重要作用。本研究为进一步了解 GRAS 家族基因在核桃中的功能奠定了基础。
