Evolutionary of bHLH Transcription Factor Family in Lilium and Cloning and Expression Analysis of Floral Scent Related Genes
The bHLH transcription factor families is one of the largest families of transcription factors in plants.More and more plant bHLH transcription factor families have been identified presently.However,systematic analysis of the lily bHLH transcription factor family has not been reported.Based on the transcriptome data of Lilium,this study identified a total of 74 bHLH family members.All the bHLH proteins were hydrophilic,93%of which were unstable proteins,and 61%were acidic proteins.Through the domain analysis,25 conserved residues were accounted for ≥50%consistence,with R16,R17,L27,L49 and L59 being highly conserved.Sixty-four bHLH proteins were predicted to bind to DNA,including 58 E-box and 46 G-box bindings.Based on the phylogenetic analysis,lily bHLHs were assigned into 21 subfamilies,and they were annotated with functions on signal transduction,abiotic stress,plant growth and development,and substance synthesis.Three genes Unigene23213_All,CL1682.Contig2_All and CL8286.Contig2_All,which associated with ocimene and linalool biosynthesis,were cloned showing 97.30%-99.89%homology among varieties at each locus.The three genes were expressed in flowers,leaves and scales.The fundings of this research provided a valuable information in further study deciphering the functions of lily bHLH transcription factors.