Origin and evolution of the nuclear auxin response system

First author: Sumanth K Mutte; Affiliations: Wageningen University (瓦格宁根大学): Wageningen, The Netherlands

Corresponding author: Dolf Weijers

The small signaling molecule auxin controls numerous developmental processes in land plants, acting mostly by regulating gene expression. Auxin response proteins are represented by large families of diverse functions, but neither their origin nor their evolution is understood. Here, we use a deep phylogenomics approach to reconstruct both the origin and the evolutionary trajectory of all nuclear auxin response protein families. We found that, while all subdomains are ancient, a complete auxin response mechanism is limited to land plants. Functional phylogenomics predicts defined steps in the evolution of response system properties, and comparative transcriptomics across six ancient lineages revealed how these innovations shaped a sophisticated response mechanism. Genetic analysis in a basal land plant revealed unexpected contributions of ancient non-canonical proteins in auxin response as well as auxin-unrelated function of core transcription factors. Our study provides a functional evolutionary framework for understanding diverse functions of the auxin signal.

小分子信号物质生长素控制陆地植物多个发育进程，多数情况下通过调控基因的表达发挥作用。生长素响应蛋白由几类大的基因家族所构成，功能多样，但其起源与演化历史仍然不清楚。本文中，作者基于系统基因组学的方法重建了核生长素响应基因蛋白家族的起源和演化历史。作者发现虽然所有的亚结构域都是比较古老的，但完整的生长素响应机制局限于陆地植物当中。功能系统基因组预测显示生长素响应系统的演化历史，通过六个古老支系的比较转录组显示正是这些创新塑造了一个精致复杂的响应机制。基础陆地植物的遗传试验显示生长素响应中古老的非经典蛋白也具有出乎意料的功能，同时核心转录因子具有一些与生长素无关的功能。本文的研究为理解生长素信号的功能多样性提供了一个很好的功能演化框架。

通讯：Dolf Weijers (https://f1000.com/prime/thefaculty/member/1058938112246895)

个人简介：1997年，荷兰恩斯赫德，生物化学学士；2002年，荷兰莱顿大学，发育遗传学博士；2002-2006年，德国图宾根大学，Gerd Jürgens实验室博士后。

研究方向：以拟南芥早期胚胎会材料研究细胞如何获取其特性。

doi: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.33399.001

Journal: eLife

Published date: 16 November, 2018