Identification, characterization, and comparative transcriptome analysis of TCP family genes in foxtail millet

Abstract

Teosinte Branched 1, Cycloidea, and Proliferating Cell Factors (TCP), belonging to a plant-specific transcription factors family, play versatile roles in multiple processes of plant growth and development. In the present study, 18 SiTCP genes were identified and phylogenetic analysis suggested that the SiTCP genes were divided into two main classes, which was supported by multiple sequence alignment of the core TCP domain. To study the evolution of foxtail millet and rice, Sorghum bicolor, Arabidopsis, we compared the domain distribution and exon/intron structure of TCP proteins of four species. The results showed that R domain had expansion in Arabidopsis, while the other three monocots had relative conserved domains distribution. Furthermore, all four plant species had a conserved exon/intron structure during evolutionary process. Comparative transcript profiles of TCP genes in similar tissues among foxtail millet, rice and Arabidopsis indicated that the TCP genes of monocots (foxtail millet and rice) exhibited similar expression patterns among the same clade, which were different from eudicot Arabidopsis. The present study is the first analyses of the TCP gene family in foxtail millet, will provide valuable information for functional analyses of this important gene family.