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Identification of MYB gene family in medicinal tea tree Melaleuca alternifolia (Maiden and Betche) cheel and analysis of members regulating terpene biosynthesis

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Abstract

Background

The tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) is renowned for its production of tea tree oil, an essential oil primarily composed of terpenes extracted from its shoot. MYB transcription factors, which are one of the largest TF families, play a crucial role in regulating primary and secondary metabolite synthesis. However, knowledge of the MYB gene family in M. alternifolia is limited.

Methods and results

Here, we conducted a comprehensive genome-wide analysis of MYB genes in M. alternifolia, referred to as MaMYBs, including phylogenetic relationships, structures, promoter regions, and GO annotations. Our findings classified 219 MaMYBs into four subfamilies: one 5R-MYB, four 3R-MYBs, sixty-one MYB-related, and the remaining 153 are all 2R-MYBs. Seven genes (MYB189, MYB146, MYB44, MYB29, MYB175, MYB162, and MYB160) were linked to terpenoid synthesis based on GO annotation. Phylogenetic analysis with Arabidopsis homologous MYB genes suggested that MYB193 and MYB163 may also be involved in terpenoid synthesis. Additionally, through correlation analysis of gene expression and metabolite content, we identified 42 MYB genes associated with metabolite content.

Conclusion

The results provide valuable insights into the importance of MYB transcription factors in essential oil production in M. alternifolia. These findings lay the groundwork for a better understanding of the MYB regulatory network and the development of novel strategies to enhance essential oil synthesis in M. alternifolia.

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Data availability

The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/supplementary material, and further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding authors.

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Funding

This study was funded by General Program of Guangxi Natural Science Foundation (2021GXNSFAA196069); Guangxi Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Quality Standards Open Project (No. 202002); Guangxi Characteristic Economic forest cultivation and utilization key laboratory project (JA-22-03-01).

Author information

Author notes

  1. Xiaoning Zhang and Zhanwu Xu have contributed equally to this work and share first authorship.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Guangxi Key Laboratory of Special Non-Wood Forest Cultivation and Utilization, Guangxi Forestry Research Institute, Nanning, 530002, China

    Xiaoning Zhang, Yufei Xiao, Lianxiang Zhong & Hailong Liu

  2. State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, China

    Zhanwu Xu, Li Liu & Hong Yang

  3. Guangxi Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Quality Standards, Guangxi Institute of Chinese Medicine and Pharmaceutical Science, Nanning, 530022, China

    Buming Liu & Ling Chai

  4. Department of Environmental Horticulture, Mid-Florida Research and Education Center, Apopka, 32703, FL, USA

    Heqiang Huo

Authors
  1. Xiaoning Zhang
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Contributions

XZ, ZX, HY and HL wrote the main manuscript text, Li Liu, HH, BL, LZ, YX and ling Chai prepared figures and tables; all authors have read and approved to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Hong Yang or Hailong Liu.

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Zhang, X., Xu, Z., Liu, B. et al. Identification of MYB gene family in medicinal tea tree Melaleuca alternifolia (Maiden and Betche) cheel and analysis of members regulating terpene biosynthesis. Mol Biol Rep 51, 70 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-023-09019-7

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