Lao Zifen, Mao Jiali, Chen Runan, Xu Ran, Yang Zhuang, Wang Ying, Zhou Junjie, Mu Zhihua, Xu Hang, Li Fengmei, Huang Dongyi, Xiao Yong, Luo Jie, Xia Wei
National Key Laboratory for Tropical Crop Breeding, School of Breeding and Multiplication (Sanya Institute of Breeding and Multiplication)/College of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan University, Sanya, Hainan, China.
Front Plant Sci. 2024 Dec 10;15:1491139. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1491139. eCollection 2024.
() is a small transcription factor family known for its role in various developmental processes in plants, particularly in binding GA motifs and regulating flower and seed development. However, research on the functional characteristics and target genes of in coconut () is limited.
In this study, we systematically characterized the gene structure, conserved protein domains, gene expansion, and target genes of in the coconut genome. We conducted yeast one-hybrid (Y1H) and dual-luciferase assay to explore gene interactions. We identified genes with the GA motif in their promoter regions and combined this information with a weighted gene co-expression network to identify the target genes of .
Eight were identified, including three Class I from triplication, four Class II (with and resulting from segmental duplication), and one Class III CnBPC (). Three conserved DNA-binding motifs were detected, exhibiting variation in certain sites. Widespread BPC gene expansion was detected in coconut and other plant species, while only three BPCs were found in the most basal extant flowering plant. Notably, 92% of protein-coding genes contained at least one GA motif, with the (GA)3 motif being most prevalent. Genes containing the GA motif that exhibit a high expression correlation with , tend to interact strongly with the corresponding . Additionally, promoters rich in the GA motif tend to interact with all members of . The dual-luciferase assay showed that could activate or repress the transcriptional activities of promoters containing either (GA)3 or (GA)11 motif but with a bias toward certain genes. Furthermore, we constructed co-expressed networks identifying 426 genes with GA motifs as potential targets.
Our findings suggest that may play significant roles in seed germination, flower development, and mesocarp development by interacting with genes such as , , , , and . This study characterized ' binding motif and possible target genes, laying a theoretical foundation to reveal ' function in flower and seed development.
（）是一个小转录因子家族，因其在植物各种发育过程中的作用而闻名，特别是在结合GA基序以及调节花和种子发育方面。然而，关于椰子（）中（）的功能特性和靶基因的研究有限。
在本研究中，我们系统地表征了椰子基因组中（）的基因结构、保守蛋白结构域、基因扩增和靶基因。我们进行了酵母单杂交（Y1H）和双荧光素酶测定以探索基因相互作用。我们鉴定了启动子区域含有GA基序的基因，并将此信息与加权基因共表达网络相结合以鉴定（）的靶基因。
鉴定出8个（），包括通过三倍化产生的3个I类（）、4个II类（）（其中（）和（）由片段重复产生）以及1个III类（）。检测到三个保守的DNA结合基序，在某些位点表现出变异。在椰子和其他植物物种中检测到广泛的（）基因扩增，而在现存最基部的开花植物中仅发现三个（）。值得注意的是，92%的蛋白质编码基因含有至少一个GA基序，其中（GA）3基序最为普遍。含有与（）表现出高表达相关性的GA基序的基因，往往与相应的（）强烈相互作用。此外，富含GA基序的启动子往往与（）的所有成员相互作用。双荧光素酶测定表明，（）可以激活或抑制含有（GA）3或（GA）11基序的启动子的转录活性，但对某些基因有偏向性。此外，我们构建了共表达网络，鉴定出426个含有GA基序的基因作为潜在的（）靶标。
我们的研究结果表明，（）可能通过与（）、（）、（）、（）和（）等基因相互作用，在种子萌发、花发育和中果皮发育中发挥重要作用。本研究表征了（）的结合基序和可能的靶基因，为揭示（）在花和种子发育中的功能奠定了理论基础。
