Transcription factors are a class of proteins that regulate gene transcription and expression by binding to gene-specific sequences and play an essential role in regulating the biological activities of cells. The RHR (Rel-homology region) transcription factor family is the primary member of the IF (immunoglobulin fold) transcription factor superfamily, whose members contain the conserved Rel domain and IPT (immunoglobulin-like fold) domain. As an ancient transcription factor family, the RHR family continues differentiation on gene gain and loss through gene duplication, mutation, and silencing, accompanied with the evolution of diverse species. Natural selection has led to different rates of evolution among members of the family, and some domains of the protein family have shown unique mechanisms of evolution. However, the current reviews about the origin and differentiation of RHR family are rare. In this review, we summarize the research results on the distribution, classification, function, and evolution of the members of the RHR family in order to provide a reference and new idea for studying the evolution mechanism of the whole transcription factor family and the evolutionary relationship among species.
转录因子是一类能够通过与基因特异性序列进行结合,从而调控基因转录与表达的蛋白质,对细胞的生物学活性具有重要的调节作用。RHR (Rel-homology region, RHR)转录因子家族属于IF (immunoglobulin fold)转录因子超家族最主要的成员,其成员含有保守的Rel结构域和IPT (immunoglobulin-like fold)结构域。作为古老的转录因子家族,RHR家族成员随着物种演化,通过基因的复制、突变和沉默,不断分化出新型同源基因的同时也伴随着基因的丢失。自然选择导致了各家族成员不同的进化速率,并且在一些功能结构域上展现出了特殊的进化机制。然而,目前有关RHR家族起源和分化的综述比较少见。本文综述了RHR家族各成员的分布、分类、功能及家族进化等方面的研究成果,以期为研究整个转录因子家族的演化机制和物种之间的进化关系提供参考和新的思路。.
Keywords: RHR family; evolution; gene duplication; homologous gene; transcription factors.