biologia plantarum

Biologia plantarum 67:249-261, 2023 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2023.030

The potential role of R2R3-MYB gene family in the phenylpropanoid pathway and regulatory mechanism in Fragaria × ananassa

R. Jia¹, C.L. Ma¹, X.W. Jiang¹, H.Q. Li^{1, 2, *}

¹ College of Agronomy, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, 266109, Shandong, P.R. China

² Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan

It is common knowledge that R2R3-MYB transcription factors play significant roles in plant biological and physiological processes, especially in the phenylpropanoid metabolism pathway. The cultivated strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) is an octoploid (2n = 8x = 56) species from the Rosaceae family and it is also an important fruit crop species. However, the function of R2R3-MYB genes in strawberry remains largely unknown. Here, based on the genome of the cultivated strawberry cv. Reikou, 66 FanMYB genes were found and systematically analyzed. RNA-seq analysis revealed that some FanMYBs exhibited tissue-specific expressions and were methyl jasmonate (MeJA)-responsive. Phylogenetic relationships and protein-protein interaction analysis suggested that 13 FanMYBs were likely associated with phenylpropanoid metabolism. Out of these genes, FanMYB22, FanMYB36, FanMYB47, FanMYB49, and FanMYB63 were post-transcriptionally regulated by miR858 according to the degradome data analysis, suggesting the conservation and complex regulation network in F. × ananassa. Current findings provide a useful resource for future research on the function of FanMYBs and the regulatory mechanism of the phenylpropanoid pathway in strawberry.

Keywords: Fragaria × ananassa, gene expression pattern, miRNA, phylogenetic relationship, protein-protein interaction, R2R3-MYB gene family.

Received: April 3, 2023; Revised: June 17, 2023; Accepted: August 14, 2023; Published online: September 6, 2023  Show citation