Auxin EvoDevo: Conservation and Diversification of Genes Regulating Auxin Biosynthesis, Transport, and Signaling

First author: Michaela Sylvia Matthes; Affiliations: University of Missouri-Columbia (密苏里大学哥伦比亚分校): Columbia, USA

Corresponding author: Paula McSteen

The phytohormone auxin has been shown to be of pivotal importance in growth and development of land plants. The underlying molecular players involved in auxin biosynthesis, transport, and signaling are quite well understood in Arabidopsis. However, functional characterizations of auxin-related genes in economically important crops, specifically maize and rice, are still limited. In this article, we comprehensively review recent functional studies on auxin-related genes in both maize and rice, compared with what is known in Arabidopsis, and highlight conservation and diversification of their functions. Our analysis is illustrated by phylogenetic analysis and publicly available gene expression data for each gene family, which will aid in the identification of auxin-related genes for future research. Current challenges and future directions for auxin research in maize and rice are discussed. Developments in gene editing techniques provide powerful tools for overcoming the issue of redundancy in these gene families and will undoubtedly advance auxin research in crops.

植物激素生长素对于陆地植物的生长和发育具有非常重要的作用。作用于植物生长素生物合成、运输以及信号转导的分子机制在拟南芥中已经研究得比较透彻了。然而，在具有非常高的经济价值的作物中，尤其是玉米和水稻，有关生长素相关基因的功能鉴定还不够清晰。本文中，作者综述了近来玉米和水稻中有关生长素相关基因的功能研究结果，并与拟南芥中对应基因的功能相互比较，突出了这些基因在功能上的保守和分化。作者通过系统发育分析和公开可获取的基因表达数据对相关的基因家族进行了分析，这些结果将有助于将来经济作物中生长素相关基因的鉴定。作者在本文中进一步讨论了目前在作物中存在的挑战，以及将来可能的研究方向。另外，基因编辑技术的发展为研究这些基因家族成员之间的功能冗余提供了可能，这无疑将有利于作物中生长素相关的研究。

通讯：Paula McSteen (https://ipg.missouri.edu/faculty/mcsteen.cfm)

研究方向：植物激素信号在腋分生组织起始、形成过程中的作用。

doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molp.2018.12.012

Journal: Molecular Cell

Published date: December 24, 2018