Evolutionary Analysis and Functional Identification of Clock-Associated <i>PSEUDO-RESPONSE REGULATOR</i> (<i>PRRs</i>) Genes in the Flowering Regulation of Roses
Pseudo-response regulators (<i>PRRs</i>) are the important genes for flowering in roses. In this work, clock <i>PRRs</i> were genome-wide identified using Arabidopsis protein sequences as queries, and their evolutionary analyses were deliberated intensively in Rosaceae in cor...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-06-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/13/7335 |
| Summary: | Pseudo-response regulators (<i>PRRs</i>) are the important genes for flowering in roses. In this work, clock <i>PRRs</i> were genome-wide identified using Arabidopsis protein sequences as queries, and their evolutionary analyses were deliberated intensively in Rosaceae in correspondence with angiosperms species. To draw a comparative network and flow of clock <i>PRRs</i> in roses, a co-expression network of flowering pathway genes was drawn using a string database, and their functional analysis was studied by silencing using VIGS and protein-to-protein interaction. We revealed that the clock <i>PRRs</i> were significantly expanded in Rosaceae and were divided into three major clades, i.e., <i>PRR5/9</i> (clade 1), <i>PRR3/7</i> (clade 2), and <i>TOC1/PRR1</i> (clade 3), based on their phylogeny. Within the clades, five clock <i>PRRs</i> were identified in <i>Rosa chinensis</i>. Clock <i>PRRs</i> had conserved RR domain and shared similar features, suggesting the duplication occurred during evolution. Divergence analysis indicated the role of duplication events in the expansion of clock <i>PRRs</i>. The diverse cis elements and interaction of clock <i>PRRs</i> with <i>miRNAs</i> suggested their role in plant development. Co-expression network analysis showed that the clock <i>PRRs</i> from <i>Rosa chinensis</i> had a strong association with flowering controlling genes. Further silencing of <i>RcPRR1b</i> and <i>RcPRR5</i> in <i>Rosa chinensis</i> using VIGS led to earlier flowering, confirming them as negative flowering regulators. The protein-to-protein interactions between <i>RcPRR1a</i>/<i>RcPRR5</i> and <i>RcCO</i> suggested that <i>RcPRR1a</i>/<i>RcPRR5</i> may suppress flowering by interfering with the binding of <i>RcCO</i> to the promoter of <i>RcFT</i>. Collectively, these results provided an understanding of the evolutionary profiles as well as the functional role of clock <i>PRRs</i> in controlling flowering in roses. |
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| ISSN: | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |