Functional divergence in the Arabidopsis LOB-domain gene family.
The Arabidopsis LOB-domain (LBD) gene family is composed by 43 members divided in two classes based on amino acid conservation within the LOB-domain. The LOB domain is known to be responsible for DNA binding and protein-protein interactions. There is very little functional information available for most genes in the LBD family and many lbd single mutants do not exhibit conspicuous phenotypes. One plausible explanation for the limited loss-of-function phenotypes observed in this family is that LBD genes exhibit significant functional redundancy. Here we discuss an example of one phylogenetic subgroup of the LBD family, in which genes that are closely related based on phylogeny exhibit distinctly different expression patterns and do not have overlapping functions. We discuss the challenges of using phylogenetic analyses to predict redundancy in gene families.
Department of Botany and Plant Sciences and Center for Plant Cell Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
Amanda
A
Mangeon
Wan-ching
WC
Lin
Patricia S
PS
Springer
D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011058:Pollen / Q000378:metabolism
D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; C464510:LOB protein, Arabidopsis