Xia Meng, Tang Liwen, Zhai Haoming, Liu Yezhou, Zhang Liangsheng, Chen Dan
Hainan Institute, Zhejiang University, Sanya 572025, China.
Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Integrative Biology, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
Plants (Basel). 2025 Aug 8;14(16):2456. doi: 10.3390/plants14162456.
GATA transcription factors are crucial for plant development and environmental responses, yet their roles in plant evolution and root nodule symbiosis are still not well understood. This study identified GATA genes across the genomes of 77 representative plant species, revealing that this gene family originated in Charophyta and significantly expanded in both gymnosperms and angiosperms. Phylogenetic analyses, along with examinations of conserved motifs and cis-regulatory elements in and , clearly demonstrated structural and functional divergence within the GATA family. Chromosomal mapping and synteny analysis indicated that GATA gene expansion in soybean primarily resulted from whole-genome duplication events. These genes also exhibit high conservation and signs of purifying selection in , , and . Furthermore, by integrating phylogenetic and transcriptomic data from eight nitrogen-fixing legume species, several GATA genes were identified as strongly co-expressed with , suggesting their potential co-regulatory roles in nodule development and symbiosis. Collectively, this study offers a comprehensive overview of the evolutionary dynamics of the GATA gene family and highlights their potential involvement in root nodule symbiosis in legumes, thus providing a theoretical foundation for future mechanistic studies.
GATA转录因子对植物发育和环境响应至关重要，但其在植物进化和根瘤共生中的作用仍未得到充分了解。本研究鉴定了77种代表性植物基因组中的GATA基因，发现该基因家族起源于轮藻，并在裸子植物和被子植物中显著扩张。系统发育分析以及对保守基序和顺式调控元件的研究，清楚地证明了GATA家族内部的结构和功能差异。染色体定位和共线性分析表明，大豆中GATA基因的扩张主要源于全基因组复制事件。这些基因在[具体植物或组织等]中也表现出高度保守和纯化选择的迹象。此外，通过整合来自8种固氮豆科植物的系统发育和转录组数据，鉴定出几个与[特定基因]强烈共表达的GATA基因，表明它们在根瘤发育和共生中可能具有共同调控作用。总体而言，本研究全面概述了GATA基因家族的进化动态，并突出了它们在豆科植物根瘤共生中的潜在参与，从而为未来的机制研究提供了理论基础。
