The evolution of N6-methyladenosine regulators in plants

As a reversible modification, N-6-methyladenosine (m(6)A) plays key roles in series of biological processes. Although it has been found that m(6)A modification is regulated by writers, erasers and readers, their evolutionary processes are still not clearly and systematically described. In the present work, we identified 1592 m(6)A modification regulators from 65 representative plant species and performed the phylogenetic relationships, sequence structure, selection pressure, and codon usage analysis across species. The regulators from different species or subfamilies were distinguishable based on the phylogenetic trees. Although the gene structure was structurally and functionally conserved for each kind of regulators, the unique exon/intron structures and motif organizations were observed among different families. The selection pressure analysis demonstrated that the regulators experienced purifying selection. Interestingly, the selection pressure for the regulators in higher plants was more relaxed, indicating that they might have acquired new functions during evolution. In addition, the different codon usage preferences were observed for the different kinds of m(6)A modification regulators. These results will not only facilitate our understanding of the evolution of m(6)A regulators, but also shed light on how the evolutionary differences affect their functional divergence.

Automated summary

This study investigated 1592 m(6)A modification regulators from 65 representative plant species and analyzed their phylogenetic relationships, sequence structure, selection pressure, and codon usage. The study found that regulators from different species or subfamilies were distinguishable based on phylogenetic trees. The gene structure of regulators was conserved, but unique exon/intron structures and motif organizations were observed among different families. The analysis also demonstrated that regulators experienced purifying selection, and the selection pressure was more relaxed in higher plants, suggesting they might have acquired new functions during evolution. Additionally, different codon usage preferences were observed for different kinds of regulators.