Characterization of Ethylene Receptors and Their Interactions with GmTPR – A Novel Tetratricopeptide Repeat Protein (TPR) in Soybean (Glycine max L.)

Ethylene receptors play important roles not only in regulation of growth and development but also in response to environmental stimuli of plants. However, there are few reports on ethylene receptors in soybean. In this article, putative ethylene receptors of soybean were searched from soybean genomic database (http://www.phytozome.net/search.php) and analyzed. The ethylene receptor gene family in soybean comprising eight members, designated as GmERS1-1, GmERS1-2, GmETR1-1, GmETR1-2, GmETR2-1, GmETR2-2, GmEIN4-1, and GmEIN4-2 corresponding with their homologous genes in Arabidopsis, were isolated and analyzed. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the eight soybean ethylene receptors (SERs) were in two subfamilies and further divided into four groups, viz., groups I (GmERS1-1 and GmERS1-2), II (GmETR1-1 and GmETR1-2), VI (GmETR2-1 and GmETR2-2), and VII (GmEIN4-1 and GmEIN4-2). Protein structure of the members in groups I and II from subfamily I were more conserved than the members in other two groups from subfamily II. Expression patterns of the SERs were compared with the homologous genes in Arabidopsis. The results demonstrated that expression patterns of the SERs differed from Arabidopsis members in the same group, suggesting that SERs are involved in different signal pathways compared to ethylene receptors in Arabidopsis. Promoter analysis showed that the sequences of the members in each group were different from each other, and some specific binding elements of transcription factors detected in promoter sequences might explain the differences between the members in the same group. A novel soybean TPR protein (tetratricopeptide repeat protein), GmTPR, was identified to interact with GmETR1-1, apparently an important ethylene receptor in ethylene signaling pathway in soybean. This suggested that GmTPR might be a novel downstream component of the ethylene signaling pathway.