Abstract
The emergence and expression of the YABBY gene family (YGF) coincided with the evolution of leaves in seed plants, and was integral to the early evidence of lamina followed by reproductive development. YGF contains six subclasses, i.e., CRC, INO, FIL, YAB2, YAB3, and YAB5. This study aims to extract the genome sequences of the YGF in Bienertia sinuspersici, an important model plant for single-cell C4 (SCC4), non-Kranz photosynthesis. A comparative genomic analysis was undertaken with Vitis vinefera, Arabidopsis thaliana, Brassica rapa, and Chenopodium quinoa. Six copies of YGF were present in B. sinuspersici and A. thaliana with a single copy of each YGF subgroup. V. vinefera possessed seven copies of YGF with duplicates in FIL and YAB2 subgroups, but no YAB3. B. rapa and C. quinoa after whole genome duplication contained additional copies of YGF. The gene structure and conserved motifs were analyzed among the YGF. In addition, the relative quantification of YGF was analyzed in the leaves, reproductive developmental stages such as the bud, and the pre-anthesis and anthesis stages in B. sinuspersici, A. thaliana, and B. rapa. CRC and INO possessed conserved floral-specific expression. Temporal and perpetual changes in the expression of YGF orthologs were observed in the leaves and reproductive developmental stages. The results of this study provide an overview of YGF evolution, copy number, and its differential expression in B. sinuspersici. Further studies are required to shed light on the roles of YABBY genes in the evolution of SCC4 plants and their distinct physiologies.
Highlights
The YABBY gene family (YGF) is a class of transcription factors containing two conserved domains including a C2–C2 zinc-finger domain in the N-terminal and a high mobility group box in the C-terminal region
The single orthologs of YABBY subgroups existed in A. thaliana and B. sinuspersici, and are present as seven copies in eudicot outgroup genome, V. vinifera
The subgroup of YGF was expanded in B. rapa and C. quinoa to 11 and 10 copies, respectively
Summary
The YABBY gene family (YGF) is a class of transcription factors containing two conserved domains including a C2–C2 zinc-finger domain in the N-terminal and a high mobility group box in the C-terminal region. The high mobility group is termed as “YABBY domain”, and consists of a helix–loop–helix motif [1,2,3]. YGF plays an essential role in the reproductive and vegetative systems of plants. The evolution of YGF is correlated with the origin of leaves in seed plants [4,5]. A previous study of the basal eudicot Eschscholzia californica suggested that the role of YGF in converting shoots into bilateral leaves could have evolved before the early divergence of core eudicots [10]. In A. thaliana, YABBY gene family members were reported to be consisted with six subclasses, i.e., CRABS CLAW (CRC), INNER NO OUTER
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