Poster: Genome evolution

Abs # 847: Genome-wide analysis of Arabidopsis cyclins and comparative phylogenetic analysis of plant cyclin-like proteins

Presenter:	Wang, Guanfang , gzw101@psu.edu
Authors	Wang, Guanfang  (A) (B)  Kong, Hongzhi  (A)   Sun, Yujin  (A)   Zhang, Xiaohong  (A)   Zhang, Wei  (A)   Altman, Naomi  (C)   Ma, Hong  (A) (B)
Affiliations:	(A): Department of Biology and the Huck Institute for Life Sciences, 313 Wartik Laboratory, The Penn State University (B): Intercollege Graduate Program in Plant Physiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802 (C): Department of Statistics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802

Cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are primary regulators of eukaryotic cell cycle progression. Compared to the extensive studies on cell cycle mechanisms and cyclin function in animals and yeasts, only a small number of plant cyclins have been characterized functionally. SOLO DANCERS (sds) is the first reported plant cyclin knock-out mutant with significant phenotype. Expressed specifically in meiotic cells, SDS gene is required for Arabidopsis normal meiosis. The scarcity of mutants in other plant cyclin genes with phenotypes implies that plant cyclins have some unique features. To gain more understanding of plant cyclins and to obtain clues to guide future functional study on cyclin genes, we performed an exhaustive search for cyclin genes in the Arabidopsis genome and among available sequences from other vascular plants. Based on phylogenetic analysis, we defined 10 classes of plant cyclins, four of which are plant-specific. Microarray and RT-PCR analyses were also performed to obtain expression profiles of Arabidopsis cyclin genes in various tissues. The phylogenetic results suggest that the cyclin gene family in plants has undergone more gene duplications than in animals. Expression patterns and phylogenetic analyses of Arabidopsis cyclin genes suggest potential gene redundancy among members belonging to the same group. Our study provides an opportunity to rapidly assess the position of plant cyclin genes in terms of evolution and classification, serving as a guide for further functional study of plant cyclins.