Soybean 14-3-3 gene family: identification and molecular characterization

• DOI: 10.1007/s00425-010-1315-6
• Publication Date: 2010-11-25T05:44:48Z
• Authors: Xuyan Li; Sangeeta Dhaubhadel
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; 2. Zero hunger; Glycine max; Molecular Sequence Data; Genes, Plant; 03 medical and health sciences; 14-3-3 Proteins; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Multigene Family; Databases, Genetic; Protein Isoforms; Amino Acid Sequence; Dimerization; Sequence Alignment; Genome, Plant; Phylogeny

The 14-3-3s are a group of proteins that are ubiquitously found in eukaryotes. Plant 14-3-3 proteins are encoded by a large multigene family and are involved in signaling pathways to regulate plant development and protection from stress. Recent studies in Arabidopsis and rice have demonstrated the isoform specificity in 14-3-3s and their client protein interactions. However, detailed characterization of 14-3-3 gene family in legumes has not been reported. In this study, soybean 14-3-3 proteins were identified and their molecular characterization performed. Data mining of soybean genome and expressed sequence tag databases identified 18 14-3-3 genes, of them 16 are transcribed. All 16 SGF14s have higher expression in embryo tissues suggesting their potential role in seed development. Subcellular localization of all transcribed SGF14s demonstrated that 14-3-3 proteins in soybean have isoform specificity, however, some overlaps were also observed between closely related isoforms. A comparative analysis of SGF14s with Arabidopsis and rice 14-3-3s indicated that SGF14s also group into epsilon and non-epsilon classes. However, unlike Arabidopsis and rice 14-3-3s, SGF14s contained only one kind of gene structure belonging to each class. Overall, soybean consists of the largest family of 14-3-3 proteins characterized to date. Our results provide a solid framework for further investigations into the role of SGF14s and their involvement in legume-specific functions.