title: Intragenic diversity and functional conservation of the three homoeologous loci of the KN1-type homeobox gene Wknox1 in common wheat.
abstract: Common wheat represents a typical allohexaploid species and provides a good experimental system for studying genomic alterations associated with allopolyploidization. We studied three homoeologous loci of wheat Wknox1 gene, which is highly homologous to the knotted1 (kn1)-like homeobox (KNOX) genes functioning at shoot apical meristems (SAM). Wknox1 transcripts were detected in SAM, and its overexpression caused abnormal leaf morphology with occasional ectopic leaves in transgenic tobacco plants. A comparative study of the three Wknox1 genomic sequences revealed accumulation of a large number of mutations including insertions and deletions, particularly in the fourth intron and the 5'-upstream region. Some structural mutations including MITE-insertions were allocated in the evolutionary lineage of the wheat genome, suggesting that they occurred at all stages of wheat evolution. A mutation rate was the highest in the Wknox1b locus, which is consistent with the known highest degree of differentiation in the B genome. Despite the structural differentiation, all three Wknox1 homoeologs showed an identical expression pattern in wheat and their promoter regions induced the conserved expression pattern in transgenic tobacco plants. A potential of the intragenic diversity in homoeologs of essential genes as a tool for studying the genome evolution associated with allopolyploidization was discussed.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Plant Genetics, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Faculty of Agriculture, and Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kobe University, 657-8501, Rokkodai-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryoko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Morimoto
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kosugi
authors.forename: Chiharu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Shigeo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takumi
mesh_terms: D024506:5' Flanking Region / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements / Q000235:genetics; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D017343:Genes, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation; D018745:Genome, Plant; D005966:Glucuronidase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D007438:Introns / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D009154:Mutation; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011123:Polyploidy; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000235:genetics; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D014908:Triticum / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D018744:DNA, Plant; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; C405985:Knox1 protein, plant; D010940:Plant Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D005966:Glucuronidase