Abstract
Mitochondrial transcription termination factors (mTERFs) regulate the expression of mitochondrial genes and are closely related to the function of the mitochondrion and chloroplast. In this study, the mTERF gene family in capsicum (Capsicum annuum L.) was identified and characterized through genomic and bioinformatic analyses. Capsicum was found to possess at least 35 mTERF genes (CamTERFs), which were divided into eight major groups following phylogenetic analysis. Analysis of CamTERF promoters revealed the presence of many cis-elements related to the regulation of cellular respiration and photosynthesis. In addition, CamTERF promoters contained cis-elements related to phytohormone regulation and stress responses. Differentially expressed genes in different tissues and developmental phases were identified using RNA-seq data, which revealed that CamTERFs exhibit various expression and co-expression patterns. Gene ontology (GO) annotations associated CamTERFs primarily with mitochondrion and chloroplast function and composition. These results contribute towards understanding the role of mTERFs in capsicum growth, development, and stress responses. Moreover, our data assist in the identification of CamTERFs with important functions, which opens avenues for future studies.
Highlights
Most of the genes within mitochondria and chloroplasts have been lost or transferred to the nucleus during the evolution of bacterial progenitors of different plant species; many important genes remain in mitochondrion and chloroplast genomes to coordinate processes such as gene expression, photosynthesis, and the electron transport chain [1,2]
Mitochondrial transcription termination factor proteins belong to a protein superfamily characterized by an Mitochondrial transcription termination factors (mTERFs) motif. mTERFs are encoded by nuclear genes, which target the mitochondria following translation [4]. mTERFs are involved in the regulation of mitochondrial DNA replication as well as gene transcription and translation through their binding to mitochondrial nucleic acid [5]
MTERFs were first characterized in animal mitochondria and denoted transcription termination factors. mTERFs are grouped into four subfamilies, with different subfamilies having different biological functions according to the number and location of mTERF motifs [5,6]
Summary
Most of the genes within mitochondria and chloroplasts have been lost or transferred to the nucleus during the evolution of bacterial progenitors of different plant species; many important genes remain in mitochondrion and chloroplast genomes to coordinate processes such as gene expression, photosynthesis, and the electron transport chain [1,2]. Mitochondrion and chloroplast genes retain the characteristics of prokaryotic expression, they have expanded and evolved with nuclear genes in plants, resulting in molecular mechanisms of transcription and replication that are more complicated than those of their progenitors [3]. Mitochondrial transcription termination factor (mTERF) proteins belong to a protein superfamily characterized by an mTERF motif (a leucine zipper consisting of 30 leucine residues). MTERFs are involved in the regulation of mitochondrial DNA replication as well as gene transcription and translation through their binding to mitochondrial nucleic acid [5]. MTERFs were first characterized in animal mitochondria and denoted transcription termination factors. MTERFs are important transcription termination factors [7,8]. In vitro experiments showed that mitochondrial DNA mediates the interactions between different mTERF proteins, indicating that mTERF functions are differentiated by the mitochondrial DNA properties of different organisms [11]
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