Genome-Wide Analysis Of FKBP Genes Evolution And Expression Pattens In Zea Mays L.

FK506-binding proteins (FKBPs) are receptors for immunosuppression drugs FK506 and rapamycin. FKBPs comprise a large ubiquitous family, which found in several species. Several FKBPs in plants are regulators of hormone signaling pathways, with important roles in seed germination, plant growth and stress response. Some FKBP operating in finely tuned mechanisms to cope with abiotic stress. The study of plant FKBP genes is one of the key subjects in plant genetics and plant pathology. In this study, we analyse FKBP genes of the genome of the maize using bioinformatics and molecular biology method, the main results are as follows:1. Using bioinformatics software, a total of 30 genes had been found to encode putative FKBPs. The FKBP genes can be classified into single domain and multiple domain members. Gene duplications results showed that 18 genes were derived from gene duplication, more than half of the total, this may indicating that gene duplication is the reason why the number of FKBPs genes in maize is more than any other organisms .2. By analyses of chromosomal locations of FKBPs genes, we found that the FKBP genes were widely distributed on ten chromosomes. Chromosomes 1 and chromosomes 5 distribute 7 genes, which had the largest numbers. Also some genes were distributed in gene cluster, such as chromosomes1, 4, 5, this was significantly different from Arabidopsis, which had not gene cluster.3. To further analyze the evolutionary relationship of the FKBPs gene, we constructed phylogenetic tree, evolutionary tree analysis showed that these genes were divided into two branches; the FKBP genes had a high degree of homology in every branch. Comparing to the rice, the map showed they have highly homologous genes, but there were some differences between the evolution relationship and the number. This indicates that the evolution of maize in the FKBP gene is relatively more complicated.4. Sequence analysis showed that the FKBP gene's structure is complicated, and some genes ordered long, which have nearly 600 amino acids, contains more than 10 different motifs, while some shorter genes have less than 100 amino acids, contains only three motifs. Motif 16, Motif 17, Motif 18 and Motif 19 appears only in a small number of genes, but Motif 1 and Motif 4 contains in almost every genes, this may indicate these two motifs play a special role in immune system.5. By RT-PCR technique, we analyzed the expression patterns of the 30 FKBPs genes in the root, the stem and the leaf of the maize. The results showed the 30 FKBPs were expressed in various tissues and different genes in different tissues were expressed differently. ZmFKBP12a and ZmFKBP18-20 are expressed highest in leaves, ZmFKBP16-2b and ZmFKBP16-3 expressed highest in the root, ZmFKBP17-2a showed specific expression in the stem. This expression pattern provides an important basis for further study the roles and the function of the FKBP genes.