Abstract
BackgroundPhosphatidyl ethanolamine-binding proteins (PEBPs) are involved in the regulation of plant architecture and flowering time. The functions of PEBP genes have been studied in many plant species. However, little is known about the characteristics and expression profiles of PEBP genes in wild peanut species, Arachis duranensis and Arachis ipaensis, the diploid ancestors of cultivated peanuts.ResultsIn this study, genome-wide identification methods were used to identify and characterize a total of 32 peanut PEBP genes, 16 from each of the two wild peanut species, A. duranensis and A. ipaensis. These PEBP genes were classified into 3 groups (TERMINAL FLOWER1-like, FLOWERING LOCUS T-like, and MOTHER OF FT AND TFL1-like) based on their phylogenetic relationships. The gene structures, motifs, and chromosomal locations for each of these PEBPs were analyzed. In addition, 4 interchromosomal duplications and 1 tandem duplication were identified in A. duranensis, and 2 interchromosomal paralogs and 1 tandem paralog were identified in A. ipaensis. Ninety-five different cis-acting elements were identified in the PEBP gene promoter regions and most genes had different numbers and types of cis-elements. As a result, the transcription patterns of these PEBP genes varied in different tissues and under long day and short day conditions during different growth phases, indicating the functional diversities of PEBPs in different tissues and their potential functions in plant photoperiod dependent developmental pathways. Moreover, our analysis revealed that AraduF950M/AraduWY2NX in A. duranensis, and Araip344D4/Araip4V81G in A. ipaensis are good candidates for regulating plant architecture, and that Aradu80YRY, AraduYY72S, and AraduEHZ9Y in A. duranensis and AraipVEP8T in A. ipaensis may be key factors regulating flowering time.ConclusionSixteen PEBP genes were identified and characterized from each of the two diploid wild peanut genomes, A. duranensis and A. ipaensis. Genetic characterization and spatio-temporal expression analysis support their importance in plant growth and development. These findings further our understanding of PEBP gene functions in plant species.
Highlights
Phosphatidyl ethanolamine-binding proteins (PEBPs) are involved in the regulation of plant architecture and flowering time
Identification of PEBP genes in two wild peanut species To identify PEBP genes expressed in the wild peanut species A. duranensis and A. ipaensis, the amino acid sequences of the PEBP conserved domain (PF01161) and the full-length PEBP protein sequences from Arabidopsis and soybean were used as blast queries against the peanut genome database
32 PEBP genes were identified from the two wild peanut genomes (Table 1)
Summary
Phosphatidyl ethanolamine-binding proteins (PEBPs) are involved in the regulation of plant architecture and flowering time. The functions of PEBP genes have been studied in many plant species. Little is known about the characteristics and expression profiles of PEBP genes in wild peanut species, Arachis duranensis and Arachis ipaensis, the diploid ancestors of cultivated peanuts. Several pathways regulating flowering time have been identified, such as photoperiod, vernalization, giberellic acid, and autonomous pathways [1, 2, 5,6,7]. Numerous molecular regulatory components have been shown to participate in these flowering regulatory pathways. Many MADS-box family members and phosphatidyl ethanolamine-binding proteins (PEBPs) have been shown to participate in the switch from the shoot apical meristem to the inflorescence meristem [1, 8, 9]
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