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Guanqiao Feng, PhD
Computational Biologist | Machine Learning | Genomics | Gene Regulation
Plant 3R-MYB evolution (2017 SMBE Poster)
Animal 3R-MYB
(G1 > S)
Plant 3R-MYB
(G2 > M)
Plant 3R-MYB (Abiotic stresses)
Cell cycle figure was adapted from ThingLink. Tree figure was adapted from Clipart Library.
Plant 3R-MYB transcription factors are an important subgroup of the MYB super family in plants; however, their evolutionary history and functions remain poorly understood. We identified 225 3R-MYB proteins from 65 plant species, including algae and all major lineages of land plants.
>> Gene Family Evolution:
Two segmental duplication events preceding the common ancestor of angiosperms have given rise to three subgroups of the 3R-MYB proteins.
>> Domain Evolution:
Rate-shift analysis identified sites which show evolutionary divergence between the three subgroups. Most of the divergence sites are in the first helix of the R repeat.
>> Intron Evolution:
Five conserved introns in the domain region of the 3R-MYB genes were identified, which arose through a step-wise pattern of intron gain during plant evolution.
>> Alternative Splicing Conservation and Dynamics:
Alternative splicing analysis of selected species revealed that transcripts from more than 60% of 3R-MYB genes undergo AS. AS could regulate transcriptional activity for
some of the plant 3R-MYBs by generating different regulatory motifs.
>> Promoter Analysis (Cell Cycle Regulation):
The 3R-MYB genes of all subgroups appear to be enriched for Mitosis-Specific Activator (MSA) element core sequences within their upstream promoter region, which suggests a
functional involvement in cell cycle.
>> Gene Expression in Response to Abiotic Stresses:
Notably, expression of 3R-MYB genes from different species exhibits differential regulation under various abiotic stresses.
These data suggest that the plant 3R-MYBs function in both cell cycle regulation and abiotic stress response, which may contribute to the adaptation of plants to a sessile lifestyle.
For more details please check the paper "Evolution of the 3R-MYB Gene Family in Plants". PDF
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