Identification and characterization of NF-Y transcription factor families in the monocot model plant Brachypodium distachyon

• Published in: PloS one 2011-06, Vol.6 (6), p.e21805-e21805
• Main Authors: Cao, Shuanghe, Kumimoto, Roderick W, Siriwardana, Chamindika L, Risinger, Jan R, Holt, 3rd, Ben F
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agriculture; Agronomy; Angiosperms; Arabidopsis; Arabidopsis thaliana; Biochemistry; Biodiesel fuels; Biology; Brachypodium; Brachypodium - metabolism; Brain-derived neurotrophic factor; Cell cycle; Conservation; Crops; Data processing; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; Drought; Drought resistance; Flowering; Gene expression; Genomes; Genomics; Grasses; Mammals; Mathematical models; Orthology; Phylogenetics; Phylogeny; Physiology; Plant Proteins - classification; Plant Proteins - metabolism; Plant sciences; Polymerase chain reaction; Predictions; Proteins; Transcription factors; Transcription Factors - metabolism; Triticum; Wheat; Yeast
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0021805

Nuclear Factor Y (NF-Y) is a heterotrimeric transcription factor composed of NF-YA, NF-YB and NF-YC proteins. Using the dicot plant model system Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis), NF-Y were previously shown to control a variety of agronomically important traits, including drought tolerance, flowering time, and seed development. The aim of the current research was to identify and characterize NF-Y families in the emerging monocot model plant Brachypodium distachyon (Brachypodium) with the long term goal of assisting in the translation of known dicot NF-Y functions to the grasses. We identified, annotated, and further characterized 7 NF-YA, 17 NF-YB, and 12 NF-YC proteins in Brachypodium (BdNF-Y). By examining phylogenetic relationships, orthology predictions, and tissue-specific expression patterns for all 36 BdNF-Y, we proposed numerous examples of likely functional conservation between dicots and monocots. To test one of these orthology predictions, we demonstrated that a BdNF-YB with predicted orthology to Arabidopsis floral-promoting NF-Y proteins can rescue a late flowering Arabidopsis mutant. The Brachypodium genome encodes a similar complement of NF-Y to other sequenced angiosperms. Information regarding NF-Y phylogenetic relationships, predicted orthologies, and expression patterns can facilitate their study in the grasses. The current data serves as an entry point for translating many NF-Y functions from dicots to the genetically tractable monocot model system Brachypodium. In turn, studies of NF-Y function in Brachypodium promise to be more readily translatable to the agriculturally important grasses.