First Identification of MORF Family in Ferns: Molecular Regulation of Organellar RNA Editing in <i>Osmunda japonica</i> and <i>Plenasium vachellii</i>.

ABSTRACT: RNA editing is a crucial mechanism regulating gene expression in plant organellar genomes, which optimizes protein structures through base substitution and plays a vital role in plant growth, development, and stress adaptation. This study revises the conventional understanding restricting MORF proteins to seed plants by reporting their first identification in ferns, an early vascular plant lineage. We sequenced chloroplast genomes of O. japonica and P. vachellii, revealing one MORF9 homolog in O. japonica and three homologs (MORF1/8/9) in P. vachellii through comparative transcriptomics and structural validation. All identified MORF proteins harbor conserved MORF-box domains, suggesting structural and potentially functional conservation with angiosperms. Crucial

SUBMITTER: Li L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12561531 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature