Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology of Jiangsu Province/Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of the Ministry of Education, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China; Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops of Jiangsu Province/Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture & Agri-Product Safety of the Ministry of Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China.
Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology of Jiangsu Province/Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of the Ministry of Education, College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China.
Plant Physiol Biochem. 2019 Oct;143:29-39. doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2019.08.019. Epub 2019 Aug 27.
The VQ motif-containing (VQ) proteins are plant-specific proteins with a conserved "FxxhVQxhTG" amino acid sequence, which regulate plant growth and development. Little is known, however, about the function of VQ proteins in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). Here, a total of 26 SlVQ proteins were confirmed and characterized using a comprehensive genome-wide analysis. The SlVQ proteins all contain the conserved motif with seven variations, which are classified into eight groups (I, II, IV-VI, VIII-X). Most of them were predicted to be localized in the nucleus. Besides, a network including SlVQ proteins interaction with WRKY transcription factors (SlWRKYs) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (SlMPKs) is proposed. In addition, among the SlVQ genes, SlVQ6 was expressed in the range of organs and tissues with the highest levels and could response to different stresses. Ectopically overexpression of SlVQ6 in Arabidopsis plants decreased high temperature tolerance. RNA sequencing analysis revealed that several stress-related genes, such as HSP70-4, RD20, GolS1 and AT4g36010 were down-regulated in SlVQ6 overexpressing plants compared to these in wild-type under normal growth conditions. This study provides critical information about SlVQ genes and their encoded proteins, as well as further research on SlVQ functions in tomato growth and development.
VQ 基序包含（VQ）蛋白是植物特异性蛋白，具有保守的“FxxhVQxhTG”氨基酸序列，可调节植物的生长和发育。然而，关于 VQ 蛋白在番茄（Solanum lycopersicum）中的功能知之甚少。在这里，通过全面的全基因组分析，共鉴定和表征了 26 个 SlVQ 蛋白。SlVQ 蛋白均含有七个变化的保守基序，可分为八个组（I、II、IV-VI、VIII-X）。它们大多数被预测定位于细胞核中。此外，提出了一个包括 SlVQ 蛋白与 WRKY 转录因子（SlWRKYs）和丝裂原活化蛋白激酶（SlMPKs）相互作用的网络。此外，在 SlVQ 基因中，SlVQ6 在器官和组织中的表达水平最高，并能对不同的胁迫做出反应。SlVQ6 在拟南芥植物中的异位过表达降低了高温耐受性。RNA 测序分析显示，与野生型相比，在正常生长条件下，SlVQ6 过表达植株中一些与应激相关的基因，如 HSP70-4、RD20、GolS1 和 AT4g36010 的表达水平下调。本研究为 SlVQ 基因及其编码蛋白提供了重要信息，并进一步研究了 SlVQ 在番茄生长发育中的功能。
