Insights into sweet potato SR proteins: from evolution to species-specific expression and alternative splicing

Main conclusion SR proteins from sweet potato have conserved functional domains and similar gene structures as that of Arabidopsis and rice in general. However, expression patterns and alternative splicing regulations of SR genes from different species have changed under stresses. Novel alternative splicing regulations were found in sweet potato SR genes. Abstract Serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins play important roles in plant development and stress response by regulating the pre-mRNA splicing process. However, SR proteins have not been identified so far from an important crop sweet potato. Through bioinformatics analysis, our study identified 24 SR proteins from sweet potato, with comprehensively analyzing of protein characteristics, gene structure, chromosome localization, and cis -acting elements in promotors. Salt, heat, and mimic drought stresses triggered extensive but different expressional regulations on sweet potato SR genes. Interestingly, heat stress caused the most active disturbances in both gene transcription and pre-mRNA alternative splicing (AS). Tissue and species-specific transcriptional and pre-mRNA AS regulations in response to stresses were found in sweet potato, in comparison with Arabidopsis and rice. Moreover, novel patterns of pre-mRNA alternative splicing were found in SR proteins from sweet potato. Our study provided an insight into similarities and differences of SR proteins in different plant species from gene sequences to gene structures and stress responses, indicating SR proteins may regulate their downstream genes differently between different species and tissues by varied transcriptional and pre-mRNA AS regulations.