Genome-wide Analysis of Ovate Family Proteins in Arabidopsis

Arabidopsis thaliana ovate family proteins (AtOFPs) is a newly found plant-specific protein family interacting with TALE (3-aa loop extension homeodomain proteins) homeodomain proteins in Arabidopsis. Here, based on bioinformatic analysis, we found that Arabidopsis genome actually encoded 17 OVATE domain-containing proteins. One of them, AtOFP19, has not been previously identified. Based on their amino acid sequence similarity, AtOFPs proteins can be divided into two groups. Most of the AtOFPs were located in nuclear, four of them were presented in chloroplast and the remaining two members appeared in cytoplasmic. A genome-wide microarray based gene expression analysis involving 47 stages of vegetative and reproductive development revealed that AtOFPs have diverse expression patterns. Investigation of proteins interaction showed that nine AtOFPs only interacted with TALE homeodomain proteins, which are fundamental regulators of plant meristem function and leaf development. Our work could provide important leads toward functional genomics studies of ovate family proteins, which may be involved in a previously unrecognized control mechanism in plant development.