Expanding the repertoire of secretory peptides controlling root development with comparative genome analysis and functional assays

摘要: Plant genomes encode numerous small secretory peptides (SSPs) whose functions have yet to be explored. Based on structural features that characterize SSP families known take part in postembryonic development, this comparative genome analysis resulted the identification of genes coding for oligopeptides potentially involved cell-to-cell communication. Because annotation based short sequence homology is difficult, criteria de novo and aggregation conserved sequences were first benchmarked across five reference plant species. The resulting gene then extended 32 sequences, including major crops. global phylogenetic pattern common functionally characterized suggests their apparition expansion coincide with land plants. can searched online members, consensus (http://bioinformatics.psb.ugent.be/webtools/PlantSSP/). Looking putative regulators root Arabidopsis thaliana further selected through transcriptome meta-analysis expression at specific stages cell types course lateral formation. As an additional indication formerly uncharacterized SSPs may control study showed growth branching altered by application synthetic matching motifs, sometimes very ways. strategy used study, combining genomics, peptide functional assays planta, pinpoints factors non-cell-autonomous regulatory mechanisms. A similar approach implemented different species a wide range developmental programmes.