Recurrent Plant-Specific Duplications of KNL2 and Its Conserved Function as a Kinetochore Assembly Factor.

ABSTRACT: KINETOCHORE NULL2 (KNL2) plays key role in the recognition of centromeres and new CENH3 deposition. To gain insight into the origin and diversification of the KNL2 gene, we reconstructed its evolutionary history in the plant kingdom. Our results indicate that the KNL2 gene in plants underwent three independent ancient duplications in ferns, grasses and eudicots. Additionally, we demonstrated that previously unclassified KNL2 genes could be divided into two clades αKNL2 and βKNL2 in eudicots and γKNL2 and δKNL2 in grasses, respectively. KNL2s of all clades encode the conserved SANTA domain, but only the αKNL2 and γKNL2 groups additionally encode the CENPC-k motif. In the more numerous eudicot sequences, signatures of positive selection were found in both αKNL2 and βKNL2 clades, suggesting r

SUBMITTER: Zuo S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9210943 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature