Search Results (5)

Tubby-like proteins (TLPs) are essential multifunctional transcription factors in plants that significantly influence plant growth and development, signal transduction, and adaptation to environmental stress. Despite their importance, there is limited knowledge of the identification and functional roles of the TLP gene family in the common bean. In this study, we identified the PvTLP gene family, which consists of 10 PvTLP genes distributed unevenly across seven chromosomes. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these genes could be classified into three subfamilies (A, B, and C). All PvTLP proteins contained both conserved tubby and F-box domains, with the exception of PvTLP7, which lacks the F-box domain. Conserved motif analysis revealed that 10 PvTLP genes contained motif 1 and motif 3. Cis-acting elements analysis indicated that PvTLP genes might be involved in light, hormone, and stress responses. Synteny analysis revealed a closer phylogenetic relationship between the common bean and dicotyledons than monocotyledons. qRT-PCR analysis confirmed the significant differences in the expression of most PvTLP genes in both leaves and roots under salt and drought stresses. These findings provide valuable insights for further exploration of the molecular functions of TLPs in plant responses to various stresses and offer key candidate genes for enhancing stress resistance in the common bean through molecular breeding. Full article

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is sensitive to drought, which severely impacts tuber yield and quality. In this study, we characterized a XERICO gene, encoding a RING-H2 type E3 ubiquitin ligase, StXERICO1, from a diploid potato, investigated its role in enhancing drought resistance and ABA accumulation, and identified its interaction with the miRNA novel-miR1730-3p, as well as its protein interactions with StUBC and StTLP. StXERICO1, with a complete Open Reading Frame (ORF) of 459 bp encoding 152 amino acids, was highly responsive to drought, ABA treatment, and abiotic stresses in potato plants. Overexpression of the StXERICO1 significantly enhanced drought resistance and ABA accumulation in transgenic potato and tobacco plants and exhibited greater sensitivity to ABA treatment, which was associated with the upregulation of expression of ABA biosynthetic genes NCED and CYP707A. Furthermore, our results revealed that StXERICO1 and its encoding protein interacted with miRNAs and other proteins. 5′ RLM-RACE (cDNA terminal rapid amplification) experiment showed that the miRNA novel-miR1730-3p targets 5′ UTR region of the StXERICO1 gene. Dual luciferase assay and virus-based miRNA silencing experiment showed that the novel-miR1730-3p negatively regulates StXERICO1 expression. Moreover, yeast two-hybrid assay indicated that StXERICO1 interacts with StUBC (an E2 ubiquitin ligase) and StTLP (a Tubby-like protein), suggesting that StXERICO1 might function on ABA homeostasis at the post-translational level. These findings elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which StXERICO1, a RING-H2 type E3 ubiquitin ligase, enhances drought resistance through increased ABA accumulation, how its expression is regulated by miRNA, and how it exerts its function through interactions with other proteins. The results also provide a potential candidate gene for subsequent precision molecular breeding aimed at improving crop drought resistance. Full article

The Tubby-like proteins (TLPs) gene family is a group of transcription factors found in both animals and plants. In this study, we identified twelve B. distachyon TLPs, divided into six groups based on conserved domains and evolutionary relationships. We predicted cis-regulatory elements involved in light, hormone, and biotic and abiotic stresses. The expression patterns in response to light and hormones revealed that BdTLP3, 4, 7, and 14 are involved in light responses, and BdTLP1 is involved in ABA responses. Furthermore, BdTLP2, 7, 9, and 13 are expressed throughout vegetative and reproductive stages, whereas BdTLP1, 3, 5, and 14 are expressed at germinating grains and early vegetative development, and BdTLP4, 6, 8, and 10 are expressed at the early reproduction stage. The natural variation in the eleven most diverged B. distachyon lines revealed high conservation levels of BdTLP1-6 to high variation in BdTLP7-14 proteins. Based on diversifying selection, we identified amino acids in BdTLP1, 3, 8, and 13, potentially substantially affecting protein functions. This analysis provided valuable information for further functional studies to understand the regulation, pathways involved, and mechanism of BdTLPs. Full article

Tubby-like proteins (TLPs) play important roles in plant growth and development and in responses to abiotic stress. However, TLPs in strawberry remain poorly studied. In this study, eight TLPs were identified in woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca subspecies vesca ‘Ruegen’). Protein structure analysis revealed that the structure of FvTLPs is highly conserved, but evolutionary and gene structure analyses revealed that the evolutionary pattern of FvTLP family members differs from that of their orthologous genes in Arabidopsis, poplar, and apple. Subcellular localization assays revealed that FvTLPs were localized to the nucleus and plasma membrane. FvTLPs showed no transcriptional activity. Yeast two-hybrid assays revealed that FvTLPs interact with specific FvSKP1s. The expression patterns of FvTLPs in different tissues and under various abiotic stresses (salt, drought, cold, and heat) and hormone treatments (ABA (abscisic acid) and MeJA (methyl jasmonate)) were determined. The expression patterns of FvTLPs indicated that they play a role in regulating growth and development and responses to abiotic stress in F. vesca. The GUS (beta-glucuronidase) activity of FvTLP1pro::GUS plants in GUS activity assays increased under salt and drought stress and abscisic acid treatment. The results of this study provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the functions of TLPs. Full article

Tubby-like proteins (TLPs), which were firstly identified in obese mice, play important roles in male gametophyte development, biotic stress response, and abiotic stress responses in plants. To date, the role of TLP genes in fruit ripening is largely unknown. Here, through a bioinformatics analysis, we identified 11 TLPs which can be divided into three subgroups in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), a model plant for studying fruit development and ripening. It was shown that all SlTLPs except SlTLP11 contain both the Tub domain and F-box domain. An expression profiling analysis in different tomato tissues and developmental stages showed that 7 TLP genes are mainly expressed in vegetative tissues, flower, and early fruit developmental stages. Interestingly, other 4 TLP members (SlTLP1, SlTLP2, SlTLP4, and SlTLP5) were found to be highly expressed after breaker stage, suggesting a potential role of these genes in fruit ripening. Moreover, the induced expression of SlTLP1 and SlTLP2 by exogenous ethylene treatment and the down expression of the two genes in ripening mutants, further support their putative role in the ripening process. Overall, our study provides a basis for further investigation of the function of TLPs in plant development and fruit ripening. Full article