Phylotranscriptomics and evolution of key genes for terpene biosynthesis in Pinaceae

Kaibin Jiang; Chengju Du; Linwang Huang; Jiexian Luo; Tianyi Liu; Shaowei Huang

doi:10.3389/fpls.2023.1114579

Phylotranscriptomics and evolution of key genes for terpene biosynthesis in Pinaceae

Front Plant Sci. 2023 Feb 17:14:1114579. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1114579. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Kaibin Jiang^{1

2}, Chengju Du^{1

2}, Linwang Huang^{1

2}, Jiexian Luo^{1

2}, Tianyi Liu^{1

2}, Shaowei Huang^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.
² Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.

Abstract

Pinaceae is the largest family of conifers, dominating forest ecosystems and serving as the backbone of northern, temperate and mountain forests. The terpenoid metabolism of conifers is responsive to pests, diseases, and environmental stress. Determining the phylogeny and evolution of terpene synthase genes in Pinaceae may shed light on early adaptive evolution. We used different inference methods and datasets to reconstruct the Pinaceae phylogeny based on our assembled transcriptomes. We identified the final species tree of Pinaceae by comparing and summarizing different phylogenetic trees. The genes encoding terpene synthase (TPS) and cytochrome P450 proteins in Pinaceae showed a trend of expansion compared with those in Cycas. Gene family analysis revealed that the number of TPS genes decreased while the number of P450 genes increased in loblolly pine. Expression profiles showed that TPSs and P450s were mainly expressed in leaf buds and needles, which may be the result of long-term evolution to protect these two vulnerable tissues. Our research provides insights into the phylogeny and evolution of terpene synthase genes in Pinaceae and offers some useful references for the investigation of terpenoids in conifers.

Keywords: P450; Pinaceae; evolution; phylogeny; species tree; terpene synthase.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Key-Area Research and Development Program of Guangdong Province (grant numbers 2020B020215001) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant numbers 31570654). We thank the Guangdong Academy of Forestry, the Forestry Science Institute of Yingde and the Hongling seed orchard of Taishan for their support in sampling.