Species- and Tissue-Specific Transcription Factors were Detected from Miscanthus Transcriptomes

Transcriptome-based transcription factors (TF) were explored in the leaf and rhizome tissues of cellulosic biomass crop Miscanthus. Previously we reported that the whole genome transcriptome sequence from the leaf and rhizome tissues from two distinctive species, diploid M. sinensis (MSI) and tetraploid M. sacchariflorus (MSA) covered the Miscanthus genome 15.5 and 14.3 times, respectively. During the exploration of genes involving in biomass enhancement, the expression pattern of the genes showed not the only feature, but other gene-controlling factors seemed to be involved. Transcription factor analysis using the Miscanthus transcriptiomes showed that bZip was the most abundant (13%), followed by WRKY (11%), NAC (8%) in MSI leaf tissue, but ERF (10%), WRKY(8%), and MYB (7%) were the majors in MSI rhizome tissue. Comparatively Myb-related TF was detected the most (11%) in MSA leaf tissue, followed by WRKY (10%) and ERF (8%), while ERF (12%), Myb-related (9%) and WRKY (8%) were the majors in MSA rhizome tissue. CPP and VOZ were detected only in the rhizome, while transcription factor NF-X1 was leaf-specific. Similarly E2F/DF was appeared only in MSI rhizome, but YABBY was the only TF in MSI leaf tissue. Interestingly those TF were found to be involved specifically at different phases of development.