Evolutionary history of HOMEODOMAIN LEUCINE ZIPPER transcription factors during plant transition to land

ROMANI, FACUNDO; REINHEIMER, RENATA; FLORENT, STEVIE N.; BOWMAN, JOHN L.; MORENO, JAVIER E.

NEW PHYTOLOGIST

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2018

0028-646X

-Plant transition to landrequired several regulatory adaptations. The mechanisms behind these changesremains unknown. Since the evolution of transcription factors (TFs) familiesaccompanied this transition, we studied the HOMEODOMAIN LEUCINE ZIPPER (HDZ) TFfamily known to control key developmental and environmental responses. -We performed a phylogenetic andbioinformatics analysis of HDZ genes using transcriptomic and genomic datasetsfrom a wide range of Viridiplantae species.-We found evidence for theexistence of HDZ genes in chlorophytes and early-divergent charophytesidentifying several HDZ members belonging to the four known classes (I - IV).Furthermore, we inferred a progressive incorporation of auxiliary motifs.Interestingly, most of the structural features were already present in ancientlineages. Our phylogenetic analysis inferred that the origin of classes I, III,and IV is monophyletic in land plants in respect to charophytes. However, classII HDZ genes have two conserved lineages in charophytes and mosses that differin the CPSCE motif.-Our results indicate that the HDZ family wasalready present in green algae. Later, the HDZ family expanded accompanyingcritical plant traits. Once on land, the HDZ family experienced multiple duplicationevents that promoted fundamental neo- and subfunctionalizations for terrestriallife.