MYB gene family in the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum revealing their potential functions in the adaption to nitrogen deficiency and diurnal cycle

Wanna Wang; Hao Fang; Muhammad Aslam; Hong Du; Jichen Chen; Haodong Luo; Weizhou Chen; Xiaojuan Liu

doi:10.1111/jpy.13217

MYB gene family in the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum revealing their potential functions in the adaption to nitrogen deficiency and diurnal cycle

J Phycol. 2022 Feb;58(1):121-132. doi: 10.1111/jpy.13217. Epub 2021 Nov 26.

Authors

Wanna Wang^{1

2}, Hao Fang^{1

2}, Muhammad Aslam^{1

2

3}, Hong Du^{1

2}, Jichen Chen^{1

2}, Haodong Luo^{1

2}, Weizhou Chen^{1

2}, Xiaojuan Liu^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology and STU-UNIVPM Joint Algal Research Center, College of Sciences, Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou, China.
² Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Guangzhou, China.
³ Faculty of Marine Sciences, Water and Marine Sciences, Lasbela University of Agriculture, Uthal, Pakistan.

PMID: 34634129
DOI: 10.1111/jpy.13217

Abstract

The MYB transcription factor (TF) family is one of the largest and most important TF families, regulating the growth and response of microalgae to stress. However, the gene structure and characteristics of Phaeodactylum tricornutum MYB TFs, and their functions under nitrogen deficiency, have not been explored yet. To identify all P. tricornutum MYB (PtMYB) genes, the MYB gene family was analyzed at the genome-wide level in this study. A total ofm26 PtMYB genes were identified from the genome of P. tricornutum. These PtMYB genes were divided into 5 subfamilies: 5R-MYB, 4R-MYB, R2R3-MYB, R1R2R3-MYB, and MYB-related proteins. Phylogenetical motif and gene structure analyses of MYB genes indicated that the number and proportion of MYB TFs were species-specific, and MYB genes exhibited a lot of duplication events from microalgae to higher plants. Furthermore, the differentially expressed patterns of all 26 PtMYB TFs implied that PtMYB genes might have functional specificity under nitrogen deficiency. Homology analysis of MYB genes revealed that PtMYB3, PtMYB15, and PtMYB21 might play important roles in the regulation of the diurnal cycle and response to nitrogen stress in P. tricornutum. PtMYB3, PtMYB15, and PtMYB21 genes might be used as potential candidate genes for further studying the regulatory mechanisms of P. tricornutum under nitrogen deficiency. This work provides an important foundation for the future research of the potential functions of PtMYB genes and its diurnal regulatory mechanisms under nitrogen deficiency.

Keywords: Phaeodactylum tricornutum; MYB; nitrogen deficiency; transcription factor.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Diatoms* / genetics
Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
Genes, myb*
Genome, Plant
Multigene Family
Nitrogen
Phylogeny

Substances

Nitrogen