Genome-wide analysis of PmTCP4 transcription factor binding sites by ChIP-Seq during pistil abortion in Japanese apricot

Abstract

The TCP4 transcription factor plays an important role in plant growth and development, especially in flower development. PmTCP4 is involved in the process of pistil abortion in Japanese apricot, but its molecular mechanism, particularly the DNA binding sites and co-regulatory genes, are quite unknown. Therefore, to identify the genome-wide binding sites of PmTCP4 transcription factors and their co-regulatory genes, chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-Seq) was carried out. ChIP-Seq data produced the maximum enriched peaks in two Japanese apricot cultivars 'Daqiandi' (DQD) and 'Longyan' (LY), which showed that the majority of DNA-protein interactions are relevant and have a significant function in binding sites. Moreover, 720 and 251 peak-associated genes regulated by PmTCP4 were identified in DQD and LY, respectively, and most of them were involved in the flower and pistil development process. Furthermore, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis showed that photosynthesis and oxidative phosphorylation were the most enriched pathways in both cultivars and all identified genes related to these pathways were down-regulated. This study will provide a reference for a better understanding of the PmTCP4 regulatory mechanism during pistil abortion in Japanese apricot.