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Structural characterization, expression analysis and evolution of the red/far-red sensing photoreceptor gene, phytochrome C (PHYC), localized on the ‘B’ genome of hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

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Abstract

Phytochromes are a family of red/far-red light perceiving photoreceptors.The monocot phytochrome family is represented by three members, PHYA, PHYB and PHYC. We have isolated and characterized the first PHY gene member (TaPHYC) from common wheat, Triticum aestivum var. CPAN1676. It codes for a species of the photoreceptor, phyC, which is known to be light-stable in all plants analyzed so far. A sequence of 7.2 kb has been determined, which includes 3.42 kb of coding region.This is the second full-length PHYC gene sequenced from a monocot (first was from rice). TaPHYC gene shares structural similarities with the rice PHYC containing four exons and three introns in the coding region. The 5′ UTR is 1.0-kb-long and harbors an upstream open reading frame (URF) encoding 28 aa. Southern blot analysis of TaPHYC indicates that it represents single locus in the wheat genome, although the possibility of additional loci cannot be completely ruled out. Chromosomal localization using nullisomic–tetrasomic lines of Triticum aestivum var. Chinese Spring places TaPHYC on chromosome 4B. PHYC represents a constitutively expressed gene in all the organs tested and under light/dark conditions. However, PHYC was found to be developmentally regulated showing maximal expression in 3-day-old dark-grown seedlings, which declined thereafter. In silico analysis has also been done to compare TaPHYC gene with the partial sequences known from other wheat species and cultivars. The presence of a topoisomerase gene immediately downstream of the PHYC gene, both in rice and wheat genomes, presents yet another example of synteny in cereals and its possible significance has been discussed.

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Abbreviations

ESTs:

Expressed sequence tags

PHYC:

Phytochrome C (apoprotein)

PHYC :

Phytochrome C (gene)

phyC:

Phytochrome C (holoprotein)

RACE:

Rapid amplification of cDNA ends

RT-PCR:

Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction

UTRs:

Untranslated regions

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr. Peter H. Quail, USDA Plant Gene Expression Center, Albany, California, USA, for providing the clone of the oat PHYA gene, and Dr. Bikram S. Gill, Kansas State University, USA, for providing seeds of nullisomic-tetrasomic lines of Chinese Spring wheat. RK and NK acknowledge the award of Senior Research Fellowship by the University Grants Commission and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, respectively. This research work was financially supported by the Department of Biotechnology of the Government of India and the University Grants Commission, New Delhi. This work was carried out in compliance with the current laws governing genetic experimentation in India.

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  1. Department of Plant Molecular Biology, University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi, 110 021, India

    R. Kulshreshtha, P. Khurana, A. K. Tyagi & J. P. Khurana

  2. Department of Agricultural Botany, Ch. Charan Singh University, Meerut, 250 004, Uttar Pradesh, India

    N. Kumar, H. S. Balyan & P. K. Gupta

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  1. R. Kulshreshtha
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Kulshreshtha, R., Kumar, N., Balyan, H.S. et al. Structural characterization, expression analysis and evolution of the red/far-red sensing photoreceptor gene, phytochrome C (PHYC), localized on the ‘B’ genome of hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Planta 221, 675–689 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-004-1473-5

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