Abstract
Zinc-finger homeodomain transcription factors (ZF-HD TFs) are relatively a small gene family in Arabidopsis involved in plant development and stress response. However, the biological functions of ZF-HD TFs remain largely undiscovered. Here, we aimed to elucidate the evolutionary history and functional role of ZF-HD TFs in other species, by performing phylogenic analysis and domain and motif identification studies in Arabidopsis, sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), and moss (Physcomitrella patens). Forty-two ZF-HD TF proteins were classified into two distinct subfamilies based on the conserved ZF Cys/His-rich dimerization and homeodomain (HD) domains. The phylogenetic tree of proteins was further divided into five groups based on the similarity of sequences, and three distinct motifs were defined in the amino acid sequences. Genetic analysis revealed that the moss PpZF-HD1, Pp3c1_15290, gene partially rescued the amiR zf-HD-79 mutant lines at phenotypic and molecular levels. Subcellular localization studies revealed that moss PpZF-HD1 was localized in the cytosol and nuclei. Phylogenetic analysis and genetic complementation revealed that ZF-HD TFs play functional roles in regulating plant architecture, which is conserved in Arabidopsis, sorghum, and moss. Although our study is only a preliminary exploration into ZF-HD TFs, it provides a novel perspective that will help future researchers better understand the biological role of ZF-HD proteins in plants.
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Data availability
All datasets supporting the conclusions of this article are included in the article and supplementary files.
Abbreviations
- ZF-HD TFs:
-
Zinc-finger homeodomain transcription factors
- HD:
-
The homeodomain
- ERD1 gene:
-
Early response to dehydration stress 1 gene
- ZFHDRS:
-
ZF-HD recognition sequences site
- FFL:
-
A feed-forward loop
- MIF:
-
Mini zinc finger
- amiR zf-HD-79:
-
ZF-HD artificial miRNA
- HAD 19:
-
Histone deacetylase 19
- TPL:
-
Topless
- KNU:
-
Knuckles
- qPCR:
-
Real-time quantitative PCR
- UBI 10:
-
Ubiquitin 10
- PPI:
-
Protein–protein interaction
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Acknowledgements
This research was supported by the "R&D Program of ‘Plasma Advanced Technology for Agriculture and Food (Plasma Farming) (EN2425-11)" through the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy funded by the Korean Government, and the National Research Foundation of Korea grant funded by the Korean government (No. NRF-2021R1A2C1005650), Republic of Korea.
Funding
Korea institute of fusion energy, EN2425-11, Young Koung Lee, the National Research Foundation of Korea grant, NRF-2021R1A2C1005650, Young Koung Lee
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YKL and DW conceived the project and designed the experiments. YKL carried out qRT-PCR experiments, conducted bioinformatic analysis, and performed the tobacco transient assay. YKL, KK, and DW wrote the manuscript.
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Lee, Y.K., Kim, K. & Ware, D. Role of moss and Arabidopsis zinc-finger homeodomain transcription factors in regulating plant architecture. Plant Biotechnol Rep 18, 223–231 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11816-024-00897-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11816-024-00897-2