Phyllostachys edulis Argonaute genes function in the shoot architecture

Zhiqiang Yue; Chu Deng; Yuxue Zeng; Hongna Shang; Shuo Wang; Shenkui Liu; Hua Liu

doi:10.1016/j.plantsci.2024.112114

Phyllostachys edulis Argonaute genes function in the shoot architecture

Plant Sci. 2024 May 10:112114. doi: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2024.112114. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Zhiqiang Yue¹, Chu Deng¹, Yuxue Zeng¹, Hongna Shang¹, Shuo Wang¹, Shenkui Liu², Hua Liu³

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, China. Electronic address: shenkuiliu@nefu.edu.cn.
³ State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, China. Electronic address: liuhua@zafu.edu.cn.

PMID: 38735397
DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2024.112114

Abstract

Argonaute (AGO) proteins are the core components of the RNA-induced silencing complexes (RISC) in the cytoplasm and nucleus, and are necessary for the development of plant shoot meristem, which gives rise to the above-ground plant body. In this study, we identified 23 Phyllostachys edulis AGO genes (PhAGOs) that were distributed unequally on the 14 unmapped scaffolds. Gene collinearity and phylogeny analysis showed that the innovation of PhAGO genes was mainly due to dispersed duplication and whole-genome duplication, which resulted in the enlarged PhAGO family. PhAGO genes were expressed in a temporal-spatial expression pattern, and they encoded proteins differently localized in the cytoplasm and/or nucleus. Overexpression of the PhAGO2 and PhAGO4 genes increased the number of tillers or leaves in Oryza sativa and affected the shoot architecture of Arabidopsis thaliana. These results provided insight into the fact that PhAGO genes play important roles in plant development.

Keywords: Argonaute; Phyllostachys edulis; Shoot meristems; shoot architecture.